


What Happens in Beacon Hills (is some seriously weird shit)

by Hoeforpoe



Category: Supernatural, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, BAMF Stiles, Bonding, Crossover, Deputy Derek Hale, Derek is Not a Failwolf, First Time, Fluff, Future Fic, Gen, Humor, M/M, Mates, Mutual Pining, Stiles is a snarky little shit, Virgin Stiles, because he totally deserves nice things, but season 3 didn't happen, except not really because he can totally kick monster ass, like Stiles, or super emotionally constipated, the Destiel is pre-slash, whose only defense is sarcasm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2014-02-07
Packaged: 2017-12-24 20:11:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hoeforpoe/pseuds/Hoeforpoe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Dean go to Beacon Hills to investigate demonic omens. They meet the pack, and have to decide whether working together is their best option. Along the way, alliances are made and our oblivious boys might see what they've been missing all along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This picks up right after season 5 of Supernatural with a bit of an AU twist. Instead of Sam being stuck in the cage, he reappeared in the graveyard at the same time as Cas. I always hated the thought of Dean thinking Sam was dead for a whole year, so I completely ignored it! 
> 
> Things are a little AU on the Teen Wolf side of things too. I completely disregarded season 3 because it was too painful. This is set a few years after season 2. Things have calmed down in Beacon Hills because in my head-canon Derek is a good alpha who scares off any potential threat before it can become a real problem. 
> 
> This is my first ever fic, so I hope it's not too horrible. Also, it's unbeta'd, so any mistakes are my own.

            Dean jolted awake at the sound of his phone ringing. “Hello?” he answered groggily.

            “Hey, boy. I know it’s early, but I think I might actually have something for you and your brother.”

            Dean perked up at the mention of a job. Bobby had wanted them to take some time off after they stopped the Apocalypse and saved the world, but Dean and Sam hadn’t been comfortable with that. They both felt like they still needed to atone for causing the Apocalypse in the first place. Bobby had been reluctant to set them up with cases, so Dean knew this one must be interesting.

            “You got a job for us Bobby?”

            “Yeah, I do. God knows I’d rather you idjits take some time off for once in your lives, but I know you’re both too damned stubborn to listen to me. This one’s pretty weird though, and I think you boys ought to look into it. There’ve been some demonic omens around some small town in California. I started researching the town some more and found that it has a history of strange animal sightings and attacks and unexplained deaths. About three years ago it was a real hotspot for paranormal activity, but things seemed to cool down until there was a report of mutilated livestock and lightning storms about a week ago.”

            Dean was definitely intrigued. This sounded like the jobs he and Sam had back before all the angels and demons crap that had nearly killed them both. He wanted to check this place out _now._

            “Ok, Bobby. We’ll get right on it. What’s the place called?”

            “Beacon Hills, California.”

**********

             Derek stood on the front porch of his house, lost in thought while waiting to hear the distinct rumble of Stiles’ Jeep. He had started nightly training sessions with Stiles a few months ago. Stiles had always been insecure about his lack of fighting skills, and he had finally grown tired of feeling like the weak link in the pack. When Stiles had approached Derek about training, the alpha felt like an idiot for not coming up with the idea himself. He wanted Stiles to be able to defend himself if it was ever necessary. Derek had started the sessions immediately and was proud of Stiles’ progress.

             Derek had always cared about Stiles’ well-being, even if he hadn’t always realized what that concern actually meant. Derek was so emotionally unstable when he first returned to Beacon Hills that it took him nearly a year to realize what happened: that Stiles was his mate. He hadn’t let himself think about finding his mate since before the fire. The guilt he harbored for what Kate did made him feel unworthy of that kind of happiness.

             Growing up, he always heard the romanticized stories of wolves and their mates. Just like real wolves, werewolves mated for life. It was instinctual for werewolves to find the one person that would balance and anchor them; the one person with whom they had the best chance at happiness and a true, fulfilling love. Derek only ever asked his mother about mates once, right around the time he went through puberty. He is now reminded of that conversation whenever he thinks about his current predicament.

_Derek had been dwelling on this for days, and was finally fed up with all the thoughts buzzing in his head. He knew wolves had one true mate, but he wasn’t sure how they recognized their mate when they finally met them. Desperate for some answers, he sought out his mother, confident that she would know exactly what to say. He found her in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the family._

_“Mom, can I ask you a question?” Derek said as he forced down his nerves._

_At his words, Talia stopped what she was doing and focused on her son. “Of course, sweetie,” she responded, “you can ask me anything. What’s on your mind?”_

_Derek nervously rubbed the nape of his neck, thinking of how to word his question. “Well,” he finally huffed, “how do werewolves recognize their mate?”_

_“Oh, is that all? Well that’s simple, Derek. When you meet your mate, your wolf knows instantly. It recognizes a kindred spirit, and you’re instinctually drawn to them. Right away, you have strong feelings for this person, but it may not always be love at first sight. At first it could even be a strong since of irritation or annoyance. But no matter if those first feelings are positive or negative, they are remarkably strong. You won’t be able to stop thinking about them. Your wolf will be drawn to them, and you may find yourself seeking out their company without even noticing it. You’ll feel your most relaxed whenever you’re with them. Trust me, son, you may think it sounds cliché, but you’ll just know. I have never heard of a wolf completely failing to recognize their mate.”_

             Derek didn’t remember that conversation again until a few months after meeting Stiles. He’d had strong feelings about the teen since they first met, though initially that was mostly annoyance. As he spent more time around the teen, he realized how much he had misjudged him. Stiles was loyal, brave, and brilliant, and one of the best people Derek had ever known. As the two of them spent more time together, Derek became more aware of his feelings for the teen until he was finally struck by the truth. Stiles was his mate, and Derek was so utterly fucked.

             Derek hadn’t told Stiles the truth yet. Stiles was only 19, and Derek didn’t want to scare him off by coming on too strong. He and Stiles had become close friends, and he didn’t want to risk losing that relationship. If this was all he ever got from his mate, he would deal with it. Finally, the sound of Stiles’ Jeep crunching on the gravel brought Derek out of his reverie. A small smile quirked at the corners of Derek’s mouth when he caught sight of the goofy grin overtaking Stiles’ whole face. Derek absolutely lived for that smile.

             Stiles’ heart clenched when he saw Derek standing on the porch waiting for him. He saw the smile on Derek’s lips and ached to kiss it. Stiles wasn’t sure how Derek felt about him, but he was positive that he was in love with the wolf. He’d been attracted to Derek since day one, because you’d have to be fucking blind to not want to tap that. Initially he thought Derek was just an asshole, but the more he got to know Derek, the more he cared about him. And even if his love remained unrequited, Stiles knew that the alpha was it for him.

            Pushing his hopelessly romantic thoughts aside, Stiles fumbled his way out of the Jeep and met Derek in the middle of the yard. These training sessions were the best part of Stiles’ day. Not only was he now in the best shape of his life, but he also got to spend a few hours a day alone with Derek. It was just a bonus that the werewolf usually spent at least half that time sweaty and shirtless. _Definitely_ a bonus.

            “Hey sourwolf, ready to beat my ass again?”

            Derek just smirked, and thought of a way to make Stiles realize just how far he’d come. He knew that Stiles fought better when he let his instincts guide him instead of trying to over- think every move. Derek waited for Stiles to get within a few feet of him before pouncing and pinning him to the ground.

            Stiles wasn’t expecting Derek to suddenly attack him. He shrieked, taken by surprise as Derek suddenly had him pinned to the ground. “So we’re playing dirty, are we? Alright then,” Stiles managed to distract Derek by talking while he brought his knee up, slamming it into the wolf’s ribs.

            Derek was caught off guard and knocked over by Stiles’ unexpected retaliation. He grinned, knowing his plan had been a success. He crouched down into a defensive pose and allowed his features to shift until he was growling through fangs rather than human teeth. Just as he was about to launch himself at Stiles, he heard something by the edge of the woods.                

            Derek looked up just in time to see two hunters standing there, looking between him and Stiles. He saw one begin to move for a weapon and the instinct to protect his mate kicked in. He knocked Stiles out of the way, just as a bullet whizzed through where Derek had just been standing. He darted over to the hunters before either one had the chance to shoot again. While vicious snarls made their way out of his throat, Derek disarmed both men and had the shooter pinned to a tree while his companion looked on in terror. Keeping his eyes on both hunters in case they tried anything else, he listened as Stiles caught up to the situation.

             “What the _actual_ fuck?!” Stiles shouted at the two strangers while he made his way towards Derek. “I thought Argent put the word out to you hunter asshats that our pack was off limits. Do you two not live by the code, or are you just stupid, huh? What, did you think you’d just walk in here, take out the big bad wolf, and make a name for yourselves? You do realize that if you break a binding treaty, we have the right to protect our own and take you out? Hhmm, got nothing to say Sasquatch?” Stiles addressed the hunter who wasn’t currently pinned to a tree. “Why the silent treatment Gigantor, cat got your tongue? I’d ask the other Hardy Boy wannabe, but I know what has his tongue, and it’s definitely not in any way feline,” Stiles finished his questioning and waited impatiently for an answer.  

            Derek just glared at the hunters, waiting to see how they would respond to Stiles’ rant. He’d learned long ago to let Stiles do the talking while he stayed quiet and looked intimidating. Their dynamic was tried and tested, and not to be messed with.

            Sam looked at his brother in confusion. They hadn’t been aware of any other hunters being in the area, and they had most definitely never heard of hunters having a binding treaty with any supernatural creature, let alone a _pack_ of them. Sam finally spoke up, since Dean was incapable of speech due to his windpipe currently being crushed. “Who’s Argent? And what treaty are you talking about? We weren’t aware that any other hunters were in the area,” he spoke calmly, with his palms up in a placating gesture. “Could you let up on my brother’s throat while we figure this out? He’s starting to look a little purple.”

            Stiles shot Derek a look that told him to reign in the alpha posturing a bit, so he reluctantly loosened his grip on the hunter’s throat and allowed his features to shift back to human. He did keep his eyes red though, not really for any reason but to screw with the guy and maybe freak him out some more. Stiles’ face remained impassive, but the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth told Derek that he knew exactly what the alpha was doing. Derek smirked at the sight, and shot Stiles a look that told him to continue his interrogation.

            Stiles looked the hunters up and down and felt a twinge of recognition in the back of his mind. The fact that they were brothers wasn’t surprising since Hunting tended to be a family business. However, there was something slightly off about these two. They didn’t carry themselves like the hunters he had previously encountered, and strangely, they didn’t carry many of the usual accessories necessary when hunting werewolves. There was something so familiar about them, but Stiles just couldn’t figure out what it was. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, and focused on the tall one once again. “Well, if you’ve never heard of Argent and didn’t know there were other hunters in the area, you guys must be amateurs. Especially since you don’t seem to be packing anything that could even put a dent in my furry little friend here.” Stiles ignored Derek’s growl at the nickname and continued with his speech, thrilling at the excitement that came with putting asshole hunters in their place. “Our pack hasn’t done anything to break the code, and we don’t plan on it. Chris Argent is a local hunter that we have a binding treaty with. Our pack doesn’t hurt any humans and Argent keeps the more zealous hunters out of our territory. Now, your turn Sasquatch. Explain to me what exactly you and your brother here are doing in Hale territory. Don’t even _think_ about lying, cuz Sourwolf here,” aw, only a glare that time, “will know if you are.” Stiles finished his speech and fixed the tall hunter with his most imposing glare, impatiently waiting to find out what these two were doing.

            Sam took a minute to digest everything this kid just said. The thought that he and his brother were amateurs was outright laughable, but there’s no denying that they’d clearly stepped into the middle of something more complicated than they were expecting.

            Dean was also trying to figure out what the kid was talking about. His years of experience made him want to laugh at the thought of any creature adhering to a treaty, but his instincts were telling him otherwise. The guy pinning him there had already demonstrated his supernatural skills, but he hadn’t made a single move since the conversation began other than to _loosen_ his grip. Dean could see that his brother was busy trying to make all the strange pieces slot together, so he took the opportunity to speak up for the first time. As he spoke, he looked between the two men, sure to make eye contact with each. “My brother and I got a call from a friend of ours about some strange stuff going on here. We decided to come check it out and got into town just a few hours ago. The first thing we wanted to do was look around the woods, where most of the weirdness seems to go down. We’d been walking around for a couple of hours when we heard what sounded like someone being attacked. That’s when we saw you two, and I thought he was trying to _kill_ you,” Dean emphasized pointing between Derek and Stiles.

            “So what, your first reaction is to shoot first and ask questions later?” Stiles snorts.

            Dean snorts right back, “When I see a human being attacked? Yeah, that’s pretty much my first instinct.”

            “Well your instincts fucking suck dude,” Stiles huffs.  “He wasn’t attacking me, he was training me. You’re lucky Derek here has good reflexes, because if you would’ve shot either one of us, this conversation wouldn’t be going quite so pleasantly. And fyi, you don’t need to worry about the unusual happenings of Beacon Hills. That’s _our_ responsibility. We take care of crazy-ass creatures that try to hurt people in this town. So, while this little showdown has been quite useless, thanks for the entertainment. Let me get your names, just in case I ever want an encore.” Stiles’ tone may be joking, but he doesn’t for one second intend to let these two just walk away without some way to keep an eye on them as future threats.

            Dean can tell that the kid is serious by the hard set of his face. He doesn’t see the harm in divulging their identities, especially since it usually instills the right amount of fear in any creature worth their weight in rock salt. “We’re the Winchesters. I’m Dean and that’s my brother Sam. And we’re definitely not amateurs, as you so kindly implied earlier.” Dean’s expecting some kind of reaction from the guy holding him, Derekapparently. What he’s not expecting is an awkward silence followed by an outburst from the kid who’s apparently _furious_.

            “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?” Stiles knew there was something strangely familiar about these guys. The recognition had been nagging him throughout the entire tense conversation. He had been trying to figure it out, but he would never have guessed _this._ He didn’t advertise this fact about himself, but he was an avid fan of the _Supernatural_ book series.

            Back when the whole werewolf thing was new, he had spent all his free time researching things that he once believed to be only myths and legends. Of course, not everything he found had been what you would call scholarly material. He’d stumbled upon the books and surprisingly enjoyed them. Yeah they were fiction, but most of their lore was pretty accurate (except werewolves of course). So he was intimately familiar with the story of Sam and Dean, the brothers who had _literally_ been to hell and back to save each other and the world from evil creatures. And yeah, he loved the series, but he knew it was fictional These two were fucking insane. He was pissed, and he didn’t feel like holding back. “Fucking really? I mean I understand dedication to your fandom more than most people, but this is definitely taking role playing too far. You two assholes are fucking crazy enough to hunt down supernatural creatures because you can’t see the difference between a fictional book series and the real world? I honestly don’t know whether to laugh at you or have you committed!” Stiles really wanted to see how these two jackasses were going to talk their way out of this one.

            This entire time, Derek had pretty much remained calm and collected, but he was steadily becoming more and more confused. He had no idea what Stiles was talking about, but the brothers obviously did if their matching expressions of absolute mortification were anything to go by. If they were this cowed by Stiles, then they really couldn’t pose much of a threat. Derek was tired of this conversation, and he really just wanted to get rid of these idiots and spend some more time with his mate. He removed his hand from Dean’s throat and shoved the hunter toward his brother while moving to stand beside Stiles. Derek’s instincts told him that these two wouldn’t intentionally harm a human, but he wanted to be closer to Stiles just in case. His movement seemed to shock the two out of their stupor, because they began to argue with each other.

            Dean was the first to recover from his shock. “Dammit!” he yelled to Sam. “I swear to god I’m going to kill Chuck the next time I see him. I don’t give a shit if he’s a prophet, I hate those fucking books! Totally not cool, man! First there were the creepy fangirls, then the conventions, and now this. A fucking teenager laughing at us because he thinks we’re just playing around. Fuck our lives man.”

            Luckily, Sam was better as staying calm. He looked at the two men and then to his brother. There was definitely something weird going on in Beacon Hills. He placated Dean with a muttered, “I know dude, I know,” then turned to the duo now looking at them with uncertainty and dawning interest. He looked directly at Derek and said with a somewhat sheepish expression, “Obviously we were mistaken, and we apologize for trespassing on your territory. Sorry.” When Derek made no move to stop them, he grabbed his brother and began to herd him back towards the Impala.

            Dean allowed himself to be manhandled back to the car, but he turned back and let his gaze linger on the two men. He may have initially been wrong and a tad overzealous, but now his curiosity was definitely piqued. This town seemed interesting.

**********

            Stiles was only somewhat surprised that Derek allowed the idiotic brothers to simply walk away. They obviously weren’t a threat, and they did seem genuinely confused and apologetic. His adrenaline was wearing off, and he was beginning to see the humor in the situation. Two major fanboys with a loose grip on reality were really hunting down monstrous baddies because they wanted to be like Sam and Dean. Those two were seriously committed to their love of fictional characters. They actually looked a lot like Stiles had always pictured the badass brothers. They even interacted with each other just like the characters. If he wasn’t so horrified that these crazy people had actual weapons and had tried to shoot Derek, he would be somewhat impressed by their role playing skills. Stiles was so wrapped up in his thoughts that it took him a few minutes to realize that Derek was staring at him expectantly.

            “So that was weird, huh?” Stiles said with the small smile that he could never keep off his face when he was alone with Derek.

            “Definitely. Maybe you can explain what happened, because I got lost when you started talking about fandoms and role playing,” Derek replied, not trying at all to hide his smirk that always accompanied any mention of Stiles’ geeky pastimes.

            “Don’t even try to give me that look, Sourwolf. If I didn’t have such amazing literary tastes, I wouldn’t have realized that those two weren’t real hunters. Come on, it’s too dark to finish my training tonight, so we might as well go inside for me to explain this to you.” Stiles made his way across the yard and into the house. He was still amazed by just how good the house looked now. It was no longer the burnt and broken sight that reminded Derek of nothing but loss and misery. Derek and the pack members ( _especially_ Stiles) had put so much time and hard work into making Derek’s house a place of comfort for them all.

            Derek followed Stiles into the house and took a moment to look around before settling onto the couch beside Stiles. He would never tire of seeing the house look like it had back when his family was still alive. He could now look around and think of all the good memories he had of growing up here, rather than see the place where they were all murdered. He settled down into the couch and subconsciously leaned toward Stiles’ warmth, knowing he would explain when he was ready.

            Stiles noticed how Derek leaned subtly toward him and smiled slightly to himself before continuing his explanation. “Ok, so I recognized something about those two from the beginning. I didn’t know what it was until they claimed to be Sam and Dean Winchester. Back when I read anything even remotely about the paranormal I found this book series called _Supernatural._ They’re kind of cheesy, but the actual lore in them is surprisingly accurate, except for the werewolves, of course,” Stiles chuckled quietly before continuing. “Anyway, the series is about Sam and Dean Winchester, two brothers who hunt evil creatures. The books have a pretty strong fan base, but some people take it too far, like those two,” Stiles finished, hoping his explanation had been sufficient.

            Derek took a moment to absorb this information. “So you’re telling me that those guys are so obsessed with fictional characters that they are actually going out and hunting monsters? What the _hell_?”

            “I know, dude, they must have a serious disconnect with reality. I hope they leave soon, because there is enough crazy in this town without having to handle some over-eager fanboys,” Stiles sighed hoping that would be the last he saw of “Sam and Dean”.

            Derek huffed, silently agreeing before turning on the television and settling down for some quiet time with his mate.

            Stiles felt a warmth flood through him as he noticed how relaxed Derek was at his side. He could never get enough quiet moments like this with Derek. Their friendship was strong, but he couldn’t stop himself from hopelessly wanting more. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Sam find the answers to some of their questions.

             Dean paced around the hotel room as he spoke to his brother, “Sammy, we can’t just leave those two alone. There’s obviously something going on in this town, and we still don’t know what it is. I don’t trust those two guys. Why would a kid like that be mixed up in this kind of stuff? And what did he mean by _pack_?” Dean asked. “We need to figure out what’s going on” he finished and sat on his bed with a sigh. 

 

             Sam laid back on his bed, trying to figure out a plan to get more information. “Maybe our best option would be to talk to this Argent guy. He must know what’s happening, I’m sure he’d be willing to fill us in.” 

 

             Dean wasn’t quite sold on the idea of working with strangers, but he knew his brother had a point. “You’re right, Sam. We’ll come up with a plan in the morning.”

 

**********

           

             The next morning the two drove to Argent’s home, hoping the fellow hunter would be willing to talk to them. When Dean parked on the street, Sam double-checked the address to make sure they had the right place. He hadn’t been expecting something quite so big or nice. This wasn’t the kind of place typical for hunters, but the address was correct. They made their way to the front door and Dean knocked while Sam scanned the area for anything suspicious. 

 

             Dean was surprised when the door was opened not by a grown man but a young woman with long, dark hair. “Hi, we’re looking for Chris Argent. Is there any chance he’s home?” Dean asked, trying to be as polite and unthreatening as possible. 

 

             The girl gave each of them a scrutinizing gaze before responding, “Of course, you can come on in and I’ll go grab him for you.” They followed her into the living room, where they waited for her to return with Argent. Both brothers looked around the room, but neither found anything that would make them believe a hunter lived here. 

 

             Allison went to get her father, listening behind her to the strangers’ movements. She could hear them shuffling around the living room and smiled to herself at their obvious snooping. She knew they wouldn’t find anything incriminating, which was why she had been willing to leave them alone. When she walked into the study, she knew her dad could tell something was up. She caught his eye and murmured, “Dad, there are two men here that want to speak to you. I think they know about us.”

 

             Chris could tell Allison was somewhat nervous, but he refused to be intimidated by strangers. He sent Allison upstairs, and went into the living room to see what these men wanted. “How can I help you two?” he asked with a fake smile on his face and false sincerity in his voice.

 

             Dean noted the false tone and decided to cut to the truth. He stood and said, “My name’s Dean and this is my brother Sam. We’re hunters just like you and your family.” Dean paused to look for a reaction, but Argent simply stared at him as if willing him to continue. “A friend of ours told us about strange activity in Beacon Hills, and we thought we’d check it out. We got here last night and decided to look around the woods. After a couple hours of not finding anything, we heard what sounded like someone being attacked. We ran towards the sound, and I shot at the creature only for him to dodge the bullet, disarm both of us, and pin me to a tree. While he had me pinned, the guy we thought was being attacked had a conversation with my brother here,” Dean motioned towards Sam and let him finish the story. 

 

             Sam nodded to Dean and continued, “The guy we thought was being attacked started yelling at us and went on a rant about a treaty and their pack being off limits. He said that you kept hunters out of their territory and their pack dealt with any threats to the town,” Sam completed the story and waited for Argent’s response. 

 

             Chris could tell that these two wouldn’t leave until they knew what was going on. He figured he could give them a shortened version of the truth and they would be on their way. “There’s nothing for you two to worry about in Beacon Hills. You ran into some members of the local pack, and they don’t react well to hunters in their territory. Especially when those hunters shoot at them,” he added and glared towards Dean who simply shrugged. “The pack doesn’t hurt any humans and I keep hunters out of their territory. They take care of any supernatural threats to the town, and I sometimes help them. If that’s all, I think you two should leave now,” he said and began walking to the front door. 

 

             “Wait, wait, wait,” interrupted Dean. “What do you mean by pack? The creatures we’ve encountered don’t tend to work together, and they definitely don’t _protect_ humans. How do you know they aren’t a threat to anyone?” Dean wanted answers, and he wasn’t leaving until he got them. 

 

             Chris stared at Dean with a baffled expression and answered, “A pack of werewolves, obviously. And I don’t know about you two, but I only hunt down a wolf when there is evidence they spilled human blood. I don’t just shoot each one I encounter. I’m not a big fan of genocide. Now, I really must insist that you leave,” Chris finished with a tone of finality. He ushered the men out the door and watched as they got in their car and left. 

 

             Allison had listened to the entire conversation. She couldn’t believe that these men had tried to shoot Derek, but they didn’t seem as ruthless as some of the other hunters she had met. They didn’t seem to know much about werewolves, which was strange to say the least. She needed to talk to the rest of the pack about what was going on. Everyone was supposed to be meeting up tonight anyways, so she decided to mention it later. 

**********

             Sam was silent as Dean drove back to the hotel. The most experience they had with werewolves was the thing with Madison. Sam would never forget seeing her shift and knowing that she wasn’t in control of her own body. When Madison changed, she was no longer human at all. But Sam knew that’s not what happened last night. They saw Derek shift, but his features were still somewhat human. He was completely in control of his actions and didn’t hurt either one of them, even though they had provoked him. He had even listened to his human friend and shifted back to his normal form. This had to be a species that they had never encountered. 

 

            Dean was conflicted also. He remembered Madison, and he knew that Derek had to be a different kind of creature. The pack may not be a threat right now, but Dean still wanted to know more about them. He was used to creatures being the bad guys, no exceptions. The fact that Argent trusted the pack not to hurt humans made Dean want to give them the benefit of the doubt, but he still wasn’t sure. They needed to come up with a way to talk to the pack, and Dean figured their best bet would be to find the kid that had recognized them last night. He seemed reasonable, and he obviously held some authority in the pack. The only problem would be figuring out how to convince the kid that they were for real and not just some delusional wannabes. He couldn’t make a plan on an empty stomach though, so he decided to find a diner and see if they had any good pie. Pie first, plan later. He smiled to himself and turned up the radio, the thought of some good food instantly brightening his mood. 

 

**********

             Stiles only had morning classes on Mondays, so he decided to grab his dad some lunch. His relationship with his father had undeniably improved since telling his father the truth about what was really going on in Beacon Hills. At first, John had thought Stiles was just making up excuses again, but when he thought about all the unexplained happenings in Beacon Hills, it began to make sense. He always knew he was missing the connection, and this might be it. Stiles knew his dad could see that a supernatural explanation made sense, but he was still surprised by his interest in getting to know the pack members. 

 

             The sheriff quickly bonded with the pack and soon became in essence a surrogate father for them all, especially Derek. Derek had always respected the sheriff, and was glad that John no longer thought of him as a delinquent. The sheriff’s influence even made Derek decide to pursue a career in law enforcement and become a deputy.  Stiles was amazed by how close his dad and Derek had become and was glad to see the usually closed-off alpha beginning to trust more people. 

 

             When he got to the diner, Stiles decided to get some food for Derek too, so he wouldn’t resort to some fast food atrocity. As he waited for his order to be filled, a hushed conversation in the next booth caught Stiles’ attention. 

 

             “Sammy, I know that these guys have to be some different kind of werewolf than Madison, but we still don’t know exactly _what_ they are. I’m not used to creatures being the good guys. The level of weird in this town is off the charts, and _that’s_ saying something coming from me! I want to talk to those guys again and see if they know anything about the demonic omens. I want to know if this _pack_ plans on doing anything about whatever’s happening.”

 

              Sam understood his brother’s concerns, and agreed that something had to be done. “Dude, I know what you mean. I just can’t think of a way to talk to them that won’t piss them off again. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes here and cut off whatever help we might get.”

 

             “You think I don’t realize that? I’m trying to figure out how to be diplomatic here, but I have no idea what to do. This isn’t exactly what we’re used to.” Dean didn’t want to start a fight with the pack, but he didn’t know how to get in touch with them without making them suspicious. 

 

             Stiles couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was glad that these guys hadn’t noticed him yet, because he needed a moment to think about what he’d overheard. Last night, he had been sure that these two were complete frauds, but it sounded like they might actually know something. He didn’t feel like they were a threat, and he had learned to trust his instincts in these situations. He wanted to know more about these strange brothers and figured he had nothing to lose by talking to them. 

 

             Stiles casually pulled a chair up to their booth, thrilled to see that he had surprised them. He grinned at the hunters and held up a finger to stop them from saying anything. “Hi, guys! Bet you weren’t expecting to see me again. Surprise!” He grinned and wiggled his fingers at them in a sarcastic wave then pointed at Dean. “First of all, you two _seriously_ need to learn to use your inside voices when talking about freaky shit. I’ve heard everything you said in the last five minutes, and I’m surprised that no one else did. Don’t _ever_ pursue a career as a spy, you guys would _suck_.” He looked pointedly between the two brothers. He could tell Sam was embarrassed about being overheard, but Dean seemed to be more offended by the spy comment. Hhmm, _interesting_. “Secondly,” he said, holding up another finger, “I think I can solve your problem with diplomacy. I’m not sure why you guys are masquerading as fictional characters when you obviously have real-life experience. You’re starting to intrigue me, and I _never_ leave a mystery unsolved. So,” Stiles clapped his hands and rubbed them together, “here’s what’s gonna happen. You two,” he pointed between the brothers, “are going to finish your lunch and go back to your hotel. I’m going to get my food and go have a chat with my buddy Derek. You remember him right?” he smirked at Dean. “Give me your cell number, and I’ll call you later with the details for our meeting. Sound good?” he finished and leaned back, waiting to see what they would do. 

 

             Dean knew this kid must have some authority in the pack, and he knew this would be his best opportunity to get a meeting. “Ok, kid,” he started, but was interrupted by Stiles flinching and holding up a hand to make Dean stop. 

 

             “Dude, if you want to get on my good side, don’t call me kid. The name’s Stiles.”

 

             Dean pulled a face at that and couldn’t keep the incredulity out of his voice. “ _Stiles_? What the _hell_ kind of name is _that_?”

 

             Sam huffed at his brother’s rudeness, but Stiles just chuckled, used to that kind of reaction.

 

             “It’s one of kind, _Dean_ , just like me,” he grinned and waved a hand in front of his body. “At least I’m not impersonating a _fictional character_. Now give me your number before I change my mind.” 

 

             Dean rolled his eyes at the dig, but wrote down his number. They could clear up that whole misunderstanding at the meeting tonight.

 

**********

             Stiles made his way through the police station in search of his dad and Derek. He found Derek in the small kitchen making coffee and quickly filled him in on what had just happened. “So, what do you think?” he asked the werewolf. 

 

             Derek considered everything Stiles had said and agreed that they should find out more about these brothers. He wasn’t really worried by them, but he was certainly curious. “I think you’re right. They don’t seem to be a threat, but I do want to know more about them. There’s something there I just can’t figure out. We’ll have them come tonight while the pack’s together. That way we can fill everyone in and have them there in case backup becomes necessary.” 

 

             “So that’s settled then.” Stiles clapped his hands together and grinned at Derek. “I hope you haven’t eaten yet. I brought you and Dad some lunch so he wouldn’t make an excuse to get fast food.” 

 

             Derek smiled at Stiles’ thoughtfulness and went to find the sheriff so they could all eat together. 

 

**********

             Dean paced his hotel room, anxious about the meeting. His instincts were telling him to trust the pack, but his pessimistic world-view made him want to be suspicious of them. He heard his phone ring and grabbed it from the nightstand to look at the caller ID. He didn’t recognize the number and hoped it was Stiles. 

 

             “Hello?”

 

             “Yo, _Dean_ -o,” the voice chirped back. 

 

             “Stiles?”

 

             “Got it in one. I conferred with Mr. Souralpha himself, and you’ve got your meeting. Think you and the lumberjack can find the house from last night?” Stiles heard Dean’s annoyed huff and could tell he was going to have _so much fun_ fucking with these two. 

 

             “Yeah, I think we can manage that.” Dean gritted out. He was trying to control his irritation, but he was beginning to see that this kid _loved_ to fuck with people. 

 

             “Good. Be there at eight.” Stiles hung up before Dean had the chance to say anything else. If nothing else, he figured tonight’s meeting would be good for entertainment. 

 

            As soon as Dean hung up the phone Sam started in on him. “Was that Stiles?”

           

            “Yeah,” Dean responded. “He says to be at the house from last night at eight. You find anything on either of them? I don’t want to go into this thing completely blind.”

 

            Sam nodded as he pulled up the information he found earlier, “Me either. So get this, that other guy from last night is Derek Hale. That’s his house out in the woods. He must’ve rebuilt it though, because about 10 years ago that house burned down with almost the entire Hale family inside. The only person to make it out was Derek’s uncle Peter. Half of his body was covered in 3rd degree burns and he was put in a long-term care facility. Derek and his sister Laura were at school when the fire started. They left town pretty much immediately. There’s nothing on them for six years after that.” Sam took a deep breath and settled down on his bed for the rest of the conversation. 

 

            “ _Jesus_ ,” Dean whispered. He knew how hard it was to lose a loved one. But the thought of losing your entire family in one day; he couldn’t imagine how two kids dealt with that kind of grief. 

 

            “I know, Dean,” Sam sighed. He ached at the thought of losing so much. “But it gets worse.”

 

            Dean recoiled at that and let out a disbelieving huff “Sam, how the _fuck_ could it possibly get worse?”

 

            “About three years ago, Laura Hale’s body was found ripped in half out in the woods. Over the following weeks, there was a string of murders. At one point Derek was the main suspect.”

 

             Dean’s eyes widened at that, but before he could say anything Sam continued speaking.

 

             “Where it got really interesting was how the murders were all connected. Each person was connected to the Hale fire, which was unsolved. The sheriff eventually figured out that the fire was actually arson and all the people murdered were involved in it. He even found the one who had planned the whole thing, and had enough evidence to convict her of the arson and the murders. It was Kate Argent, Chris Argent’s sister.” Sam winced at the thought of one woman causing so much sorrow. He had no idea how Derek was able to have a treaty with the family of the person who was responsible for the death of everyone he loved.

 

             “ _Holy shit_. Is that everything you found?” Dean was having a hard time comprehending the onslaught of information. 

 

             “That’s most of it. The only other thing I was able to find is that Derek is now a deputy and Stiles’ dad is the Sheriff.” Sam had spent all afternoon researching. Everything he found only made him more certain that Derek and his pack had to be the good guys in Beacon Hills. He was eager to meet them and see if he was right. 

 

              Dean was beginning to think he might have judged Derek too quickly. He was used to thinking of supernatural creatures as monsters, but his instincts were telling him that was the victim in this whole situation. Dean’s most basic beliefs were being called into question here, and he wasn’t sure what to do with that. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this update! I meant to have this up a couple days ago, but I ended up spending six hours at the hospital with my sister, who was having an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. It sucked for her, but I at least got some entertainment out of it when the doctor had to give her a steroid shot in the ass. Yeah, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winchesters finally meet the pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a very brief incident of a slight panic attack in this chapter. Seriously, it's like barely a paragraph, but it's there.

That night, the pack gathered at Derek’s house for their weekly meeting. Most of the time they hung out more than once a week, but they always designated Monday nights as Official Pack Meeting Mondays (Stiles came up with the name). Derek was curious to see how the pack and the hunters would react to each other, but Stiles was mostly excited. He definitely wanted to know what the hunters had meant by _demonic omens_.

            When everyone had finally arrived, Derek cleared his throat and began to speak. “The other night while training, Stiles and I had a run in with some hunters. . .” he started, but the room erupted into chaos before he could say another word.  

            Stiles was the one who regained control of the conversation. “If all of you loud mouths would _shut the fuck up_ I’ll fill you in.” Everyone instantly quieted, thoroughly chastised. Stiles quickly told them everything that had happened so far.  “We’re meeting with these hunters because there’s something different about them. They’re not like the bloodthirsty asshats we’re used to.” He glanced at Allison, hoping she hadn’t been offended.

            Allison took this opportunity to mention her own news. “I was actually going to tell you guys that some hunters came to my house this morning and talked to my dad. It sounds like the same guys. You’re right about them being different. They weren’t like any of the hunters I’ve met before. They seemed to have experience with other creatures, but they didn’t know much about werewolves.”

            Stiles just nodded at her, agreeing. “Yeah, at first I thought they were complete frauds, but they seem to know _something_. I heard them talking about demonic omens, and I want to know what that’s all about. The only thing I don’t really trust is that they gave us obviously fake names.”

            “How do you know they were fake names?” Isaac asked.

            “Uh, well,” Stiles stammered and began to blush. He knew that some of his literary choices could be deemed questionable, and Scott had ragged on him mercilessly for his love of the _Supernatural_ books. “They said their names were Sam and Dean Winchester, who happen to be characters from the _Supernatural_ book series.”

            Scott groaned and let go of Allison’s hand to point a finger at Stiles. “Dude, not those books _again_. I thought you were over that whole phase! I’m so sick of hearing about those co-dependent brothers and their gay angel!”

            Erica, who had been lounging on Boyd’s lap seemingly uninterested in the conversation, perked up Scott’s comment. “Wait, _Supernatural_? You’ve read those?” she asked, giving Stiles an inquisitive look.

            “Yes?” he replied, wondering where she was going with this.

            She began to bounce on Boyd’s lap, clapping her hands in obvious enthusiasm. “Oh my god! I fucking _love_ those books! Doesn’t Dean’s broodiness totally remind you of Derek? And don’t even get me started on all the UST between him and Cas!”

            Every person in the room stared at Erica as if she had gone crazy. Well, everyone except Stiles, whose expression had morphed from confusion to manic glee. “Holy shit! Erica, you might be my new best friend!”

            “ _Hey_!” Scott protested.

            Stiles just rolled his eyes and flapped his hand in Scott’s direction. “Shut up dude, you always make fun of these books.” He looked back at Erica, “UST, huh? So you ship Destiel?” His face was completely serious as he awaited her answer, completely ignoring the confused looks that everyone was giving the pair of them.

            Erica grinned wolfishly. “Like fedex.”

            Stiles cackled delightedly and was preparing to launch into a full-blown geek-out with Erica, but was stopped by Derek clearing his throat.

            “I have no idea what either one of you are talking about, but it’s not important right now. What is important is that they’ll be here soon. I don’t know what to expect, so we need to be on our guard.” The alpha glared at each member of his pack, his stony expression conveying the seriousness of this meeting. “Stiles and I don’t think they’re a threat, but they seem to think that something is happening in Beacon Hills. We need to find out what they know in case they’re actually onto something.”

            As the pack nodded their agreement, the wolves perked up at the sound of a car approaching.

            “They’re almost here,” Scott announced for the humans’ benefit as he stood up from the couch. The betas and Allison stood in a group in the living room while Stiles and Derek went out onto the porch. When the car pulled into sight, Stiles couldn’t suppress his laughter.

            “Oh my god, they even have the _Impala_! These guys are seriously committed to their roles!” He heard Erica’s muffled laughter from inside the house, but composed his expression before the men could see his amusement.

            Derek hid his smile at his mate’s delight and studied the men as they approached. Sam looked excited and curious while Dean remained stoic and wary. When the brothers stopped at the porch steps, Derek stepped forward to greet them. “This is how this is going to work. I don’t make a habit of inviting hunters to my house, especially ones who tried to _shoot me_.” Both brothers winced at that, and Dean looked embarrassed. “But my instincts are telling me that there’s something different about you two and that you’re not a threat. I’ve learned to trust my instincts. So, you’re going to come inside and tell us why you _really_ came to Beacon Hills, including whatever you know about ‘demonic omens’. _If_ you tell the truth and don’t try anything, we’ll answer whatever questions you may have about us.” Derek stepped back and motioned towards the open front door, allowing the brothers to enter the house in front of him.

            Dean nodded at Derek and glanced towards Stiles, whose forehead was wrinkled in concentration as his gaze darted between both brothers and their car. When he stepped into the house, he was surprised to see a group of normal looking teenagers. He glanced at Sam, who seemed just as taken aback by the group of adolescents. The two of them stopped at the entrance to the living room and waited to see who would make the first move.

            Stiles snorted at the standoff. He was used to the wolves’ posturing, but seeing the hunters do _the exact same thing_ made him want to laugh. He peeked at Derek who was looming by the door with his arms crossed over his chest. It figured he would have to be the one to break the silence.

            “Ok, people. If any of us want answers, we’re going to have to talk eventually. Everybody needs to stop trying to out-glare each other. The amount of bravado in this room is _suffocating_. Gigantor, Bowlegs, start talking.” He grinned at the brothers who were now glaring at him.

            Dean snorted at the nicknames, but started talking. “Two days ago, our friend Bobby called us. He keeps an eye out for demonic omens, and he’d noticed some in this area.”

            Before Dean could continue, Derek spoke up. “What do you mean by demonic omens?”

            “Well, in this case, there’ve been increasingly frequent reports of severe lightning storms and even a couple instances of cattle mutilation. That, combined with the town’s freaky-ass past, made us want to check it out.” Dean glanced around the room and saw matching looks of confusion on everyone’s face. He realized they must not know anything about the omens. “In our experience, those kinds of reports are the precursors of _very bad things_.”

            Everything finally clicked together, and Stiles let out a choked off noise. “Oh my god.” Everyone’s heads snapped up at Stiles’ whisper. He looked like he had just had an epiphany. The teen began to pace about the room, one hand grabbing at his hair while the other flailed about wildly. “ _Oh my god_. How is this my life? It’s real. Jesus _fucking_ Christ, it’s _all real._ _Shit_.”  He abruptly stopped and pointed an accusing finger at Sam and Dean. “You’re real. Like _really_ real. As in not _fictional_. Completely non-fiction. What. The. Fuck.” His breathing became shallow and his heart started pounding.

            Derek was by Stiles’ side in a flash, grabbing his shoulders and looking into his eyes, “Stiles, calm down. What are you talking about?”

            Stiles stared up into Derek’s face and took a few deep breaths. He looked at Sam and Dean – holy shit _Sam and Dean!_ – and tried to compose the thoughts pinging around his brain. “The books, Derek. You know how I said they were using fictional characters as an alias? I was wrong. They are _actually them_.” He looked to the brothers, both looking extremely uncomfortable. “Aren’t you? The way you act, the way you talk, the names, the car, your friend Bobby, _demonic fucking omens._ Holy _fuck._ ”

            This time it was Sam who spoke up. He shrugged a little and gave Stiles a sympathetic glance. “Yeah, um, we didn’t know about the books until a couple years ago? The writer, Chuck, is kind of a prophet. Sort of like a psychic. He, um, had visions about us and wrote them as books.”

            At the confession, Stiles groaned out a “Jesus _fuck_ ” and Erica let loose a hysterical giggle. Scott, who had been worriedly studying Stiles’ face, now looked at the brothers in confusion.

            “Wait, those books are real? Does that mean there’s really a gay angel?” he questioned.

            Dean’s mouth gaped open as he let out a choked off “ _What_?” and Sam tried desperately to breathe through his strangled laughter. Erica had tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard at the hunters’ reactions to Scott’s question. Stiles muttered, “Seriously, how is this my fucking life?” and everyone else stood there, utterly lost as to what was going on.

            Once Sam had calmed down, he caught Derek’s eye. “Can we move this to the living room? I think we all need a break from the tense atmosphere.”

            Derek raised an eyebrow at the hunter, but nodded his agreement. They still had a lot to talk about, and he was already mentally exhausted, not to mention bewildered, by the revelations of the last few minutes.

            Everyone moved into the living room and settled down for the rest of the discussion. Boyd sat in one of the large recliners with Erica perched on his lap. Scott settled down on the end of one sofa, his arm around Allison who was curled into his side, while Isaac settled on couch’s free end. Derek sat in the other large recliner with Stiles on the floor in front of him leaning against his legs, leaving the last sofa available for the hunters. Sam and Dean sat down on the couch, taking in the relaxed position of the pack members.

            Once everyone settled down, Stiles cleared his throat and glanced up at the brothers. “We’re definitely coming back to the whole ‘you guys are real’ thing later, because I have _so many_ questions. But for now, let’s talk about the demonic omens. What do you guys think is going to happen?”

            Dean looked at Sam, who motioned for him to go on. “Well, we’re not sure. Demonic activity has been pretty random lately. There doesn’t seem to be a big game plan. One of our theories is that they might have been drawn to this area because of the history of paranormal activity. Have you guys noticed anything strange lately?” Dean looked at Stiles, but it was Derek who answered him.

            “We haven’t had to deal with anything in a while. The last major threat we faced was a couple years ago. We’ve had to deal with a few issues since then, but since the word got out that Beacon Hills was protected by our pack, things have been relatively calm.” Yeah, they still had to deal with the occasional creature, but ever since they completely decimated the Alpha Pack, most supernatural beings steered clear of their territory.

            Dean hummed in acknowledgement and leaned back against the couch. “We haven’t found anything else yet, but we haven’t had that much time to look into it, either. We kinda got side-tracked.” He eyed Derek meaningfully.

            Derek snorted and raised a significant eyebrow at the hunter. “Yeah, you got distracted trying to _shoot me_ ,” he huffed.

            Sam made a sound of disapproval and turned towards Derek. “We are sorry about that, really. But you have to understand, we’ve encountered werewolves before. We now know that you guys have to be some different kind of werewolf than what we’ve seen, but we didn’t know that then. We thought you were going to kill him,” he said, his gaze flicking to Stiles, “and we couldn’t let that happen. It wasn’t a silver bullet, so it’s not like it would’ve killed you, maybe just slowed you down a little bit.”

            At that, every member of the pack snorted, causing Dean to look at all of them speculatively. “What’s with the unified derision?” he asked.

            Allison lifted her head from Scott’s shoulder to answer Dean. “A silver bullet wouldn’t kill these guys. It wouldn’t affect them anymore than a normal bullet.” She smirked at his stunned expression. “The werewolves you guys dealt with _must_ have been a completely different species.”

            Sam studied the girl and realized why he’d thought she looked familiar. “You’re Argent’s daughter,” he said matter-of-factly. At that, Dean looked back at the girl with a perplexed expression.

            Allison winced, but nodded at the men. “Yeah, my family have been hunters for centuries. Let’s just say that I know that sometimes humans can be the real monsters.” She put her head back down, effectively cutting off any more of their questions.

            Both brothers were still curious, but knew when not to push someone. Dean looked at Derek, deciding that he was ready for some answers himself. “So, what makes your pack so different from the werewolves we’ve encountered?”

            Derek tilted his head to the side and took a moment to think. “I guess we’re a different species? I’ve only ever encountered wolves like myself. I’m a born were, but the rest of these guys were bitten. We can control our shifts and change whenever we want. Silver has no effect on us, but wolfsbane does. And we don’t hurt innocent humans, _at all_.” He growled out the last part, and let his eyes flash red to show the gravity of that statement. His kind were not monsters, and he wanted these brothers to know that.

            Both hunters could tell how serious Derek was. Dean knew it would still take him time to adjust to _good_ werewolves, but he could tell that the pack weren’t monsters. Hell, they were just kids.

             Sam knew that Derek was telling the truth, and he trusted that the pack would help them figure out what was going on. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Now that we’ve cleared up where everyone stands, we still need to figure out what’s going on. We have a few more sources we can tap for information. Will you guys be willing to help us when we know more?”

            Every member of the pack looked to their alpha for his reaction. Derek looked between the brothers and nodded his agreement. “The pack will help. Beacon Hills is our responsibility.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will probably start being only once a week from here on out.Between being a full-time nanny, and dealing with school and family stuff, I just don't have a ton of time to write. I'd rather take my time than try to rush through something. Thanks for all the comments and kudos, your feedback really inspires me to keep writing! Come bug me on tumblr   
> [ here ](http://thenerdyfriend.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winchester find out why the demons are in Beacon Hills and Stiles has a worrying idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cas is finally here! And Stiles is a little shit who loves fucking with people.

             When Stiles got home from the meeting, he put his google skills to use researching demons. He soon realized that everything he was finding matched up with the lore from the _Supernatural_ books. Which, hello, _awesome_. He knew those books well enough to know any defense Dean and Sam had against the demons. He’d even once spent an entire weekend improving upon the brothers’ demon hunting tools; like having recorded exorcisms on both his phone and his iPod. So what if people thought that was weird. They wouldn’t be mocking him now that he knew demons were real and he was prepared to defend himself against them.

             And now that he thought about it, he really should tell Sam and Dean about his ideas. He also needed to ask them about the anti-possession symbols. Like did they have to be tattooed on a person to work, or was there another way for them to work? Because the last thing they needed right now was a demon-possessed werewolf. That would be _all kinds_ of fucked up. _Holy shit!_ Was that the demons’ plan? To possess the wolves? Fuck. This was bad. He needed to call Derek. And the Winchesters. And demon-proof his house. Like ASAP. Thank god his dad had all that rock salt in the garage in case it ever snowed. As he stumbled down the stairs and into the garage, Stiles shot a text off to Derek and Dean telling them to gather everybody and get to his house now.

**********

            Once they were back at the hotel, Sam and Dean set about contacting their “resources”. Sam grabbed his phone and called Bobby.

            “Hello” Bobby answered gruffly.

            “Hey, Bobby. You heard anything else about the demonic omens in Beacon Hills? We’re trying to figure out what they want here.”

            “I really don’t know Sam. Demonic activity’s been pretty scattered since you guys put the devil back in the cage. Most of ‘em’s been too busy tryin’ to gain power in the new management downstairs to do any real damage up here. The omens in Beacon Hills are some of the first real ones I’ve seen since the Apocalypse ended.”

            Sam sighed. “Thanks Bobby. Let us know if you find anything else.” He hung up the phone and went to see if Dean had had any luck yet.

            Dean was still trying to get Cas to show up with some helpful information. “I pray to Cas to get his fluffy ass down here and help us out. We’ve got werewolves and demons and _no idea_ what’s going on in this stupid town. Amen.” Dean looked up just in time to see Sam roll his eyes. “Sammy, don’t be jealous of my awesome praying powers.” He chuckled when his brother just huffed and sat on the bed to wait for the angel to arrive.

            Before either brother could say anything else, Cas was standing in front of them. “What is the matter, Dean?”

            Dean leaned forward in his chair and looked up at the angel. “Well, Cas, there’ve been a few demonic omens around this town. When we got here, we ran into a pack of werewolves, but they’re like a different species or something. They’re _good_ werewolves. They want to help us with the demons, but we need to know more before we can do anything. Do you know of any demonic activity in this area?”

            Cas’ expression turned thoughtful at the mention of good werewolves, but he nodded as Dean finished speaking. “Most demons are busy making a place for themselves under Crowley, but some of Lucifer’s more ardent followers are out for revenge against the two of you. I’ve tracked down most of them, but there are a few that I have yet to find. They probably came here since there is a history of supernatural activity in the area, maybe they were hoping to find some allies. I did not mean for them to get so close to you. They will do anything to kill both of you.” Cas maintained eye contact with Dean the entire time he was speaking.

            Sam chuckled to himself at their obviousness, and cleared his throat to break the tension. “Well that’s good to know. You gonna stick around and help us out with this one, Cas?” He looked at his brother’s eager expression and knew the answer before the angel spoke.

            “Of course,” Cas said. “I’m also interested in meeting these werewolves you spoke of. I have heard of their kind before, but never met any myself.”

            At that, Dean finally broke his silence. “You’ve heard of good werewolves? Why haven’t we ever encountered any before?”

            The corners of Cas’ mouth quirked into a small smile as he answered. “Well, this kind of werewolf doesn’t usually cause any of the problems that would draw your attention, Dean.”

            Before Dean could respond, his phone began buzzing. He looked down at the screen and saw a text from Stiles.

              _I’ve thought of a problem. Nothing’s wrong, but get to my house now._

            “Cas, you’re about to get your wish. We gotta get to Stiles’ house, like now.” He saw Sam’s worried expression and added, “He said nothing’s wrong, but he thought of a problem. C’mon, let’s go.” Dean led them out to the car, hoping that the kid hadn’t got himself hurt.

**********

            Derek jumped out of the shower as soon as he heard his phone go off. He saw the text from Stiles and instantly began to worry, even though it said nothing was wrong. He’d known Stiles long enough to know that him saying nothing was wrong didn’t necessarily mean that nothing was wrong. He didn’t even stop to towel off, just grabbed the first clothes he could find and sent a text telling the rest of the pack to get to Stiles’ house. He completely bypassed the stairs and jumped straight from the landing to the first floor, grabbed his keys and rushed to his car. He probably broke multiple traffic laws on the way to Stiles’ house, but he was a deputy, it’s not like anyone was going to pull him over.

            His tires squealed as he slammed to a stop in the driveway. He ran inside and stopped short at the sight of Stiles running around the house with a bag of … was that _salt?_ What? “What the fuck?”

            Stiles, who hadn’t heard Derek come in, looked up and gave him a manic grin. “Hey there, Sourwolf. Damn you got here fast. I said nothing was wrong, why do you never believe me when I say nothing’s wrong?” Stiles finally noticed Derek’s wet hair and how his t-shirt clung to his damp skin. He swallowed, his dry mouth causing his throat to click audibly. “Um, yeah, what was I saying? Oh, yeah, nothing’s wrong. Well _yet_ at least.”

            “Stiles, what are you doing with that salt?” Derek asked incredulously.

            Stiles looked down at the bag and smiled at his own brilliance. “I’m demon-proofing my house. Turns out salt is to demons as mountain ash is to werewolves. Cool, huh?” He gave Derek his best shit-eating grin as he finished lining the first-floor windows with salt.

            “Really?” Derek was calming down now that he knew Stiles was fine. The thought of his mate in trouble never failed to make him freak out. “Why’d you need everyone to come over?” Derek was the first to arrive, mostly due to his maniac driving, but he knew the others were close behind.

            Stiles set the salt down and moved to sit on the couch, patting the cushion next to him. Derek sat beside him and knocked their knees together. Stiles smiled at the contact and continued with his explanation. “When I got home I started researching demons and figured out that I practically already knew all the important stuff because of the books. Then, I had the horrifying thought that the demons might want to possess one of you guys, because you would probably be way more useful than possessing a human body. Hence the demon-proofing and assembling of the pack.” He looked over and saw Derek’s shocked expression.  

            “ _Shit_ ,” he whispered under his breath. The thought of any member of his pack being possessed was fucking _terrifying_. They’d never dealt with something that could actually get in their bodies and take control of them like that. He looked over at Stiles and was once again grateful for how smart he was. Derek patted Stiles’ knee and left his hand there as he talked. “Thanks. God, Stiles, how do you always know what to do in these situations? What would we do without you?” Derek wasn’t usually so open with his emotions, but it’d been a long day and he just didn’t have the strength to keep his feelings hidden right now.

            Stiles was taken aback by the seriousness in Derek’s voice. He wasn’t used to the wolf being so open. He searched Derek’s face for some sign of what he was thinking, but all he found there was gratitude and, was that _fondness_? Stiles decided to take a chance and leaned his head onto Derek’s shoulder. He closed his eyes as he whispered, “You don’t have to wonder what you’d do without me, cuz I’ll always be here.” He knew he was pushing his luck, he could reveal too much and scare Derek off, but he just didn’t care anymore. He was so _tired_ of trying to hide how much he really cared.

            Derek’s wolf _purred_ at Stiles’ words. He sounded so sincere that Derek couldn’t help but to believe him. Maybe this wasn’t as hopeless as he’d thought. He still wouldn’t rush Stiles into anything, but he certainly wouldn’t push him away. He rested his cheek on Stiles’ head and inhaled the smell of home that his mate always radiated. He moved his hand from Stiles’ knee so he could wrap his arm around the teen’s shoulders. He knew the rest of the pack would be here any minute, but he couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by. He pressed his lips into Stiles’ hair and murmured a simple “Good.”

            Stiles knew this was his perfect opportunity. If he turned his head just a bit, he would be kissing Derek. With the way the wolf was cuddling against him, Stiles was reasonably certain that Derek’s feelings for him were a lot less platonic than he’d thought. Stiles started to turn his head to look up at Derek, but before he could do anything, the front door slammed open and Isaac, Erica, and Boyd rushed in with Scott and Allison right behind them. Stiles tensed, expecting one of them to comment on his and Derek’s position. When no one looked surprised at all, he relaxed. _Of course_ they already knew there was something between Derek and him. Hell, they’d probably known the whole time. Meh, whatever, at least they didn’t have to have a weird pack meeting once he and Derek figured this out. He smiled at his friends and casually placed his hand on Derek’s thigh. At _that_ , Erica snorted, Allison and Isaac smiled, Scott beamed, and Boyd nodded. _Damn_ , he got a reaction from Boyd.

            Derek chuckled at his mate’s possessive display and cleared his throat. “Okay everybody, sit down.” As the pack moved to follow his order, he continued, “Stiles found something about the demons. The Winchesters are on their way over, so we’ll go through everything once they get here.” The sound of an engine cutting off out front let them know that the hunters had arrived.       

            Dean led the way to the house and was greeted at the door by Derek. The werewolf cast a questioning gaze at Cas, but didn’t say anything as he led the men into the living room and reclaimed his seat next to Stiles. Dean noticed the salt and smirked at Stiles. “Reading those damn books must’ve actually taught you something, huh kid?” Dean was expecting Stiles to be offended by the kid comment, but he was too busy gaping at something to even notice what Dean said. He followed Stiles’ line of sight and realized that the boy was staring at Cas, who was of course staring right back. Dean huffed in frustration and glared at Stiles. “Dude, _what_?”

            Stiles seemed to shake himself out of his trance before shooting Dean what could only be described as a wolfish grin. He knew this _had_ to be Cas. “Oh god, this is going to be _so much fun_!” He glanced over at Erica and could tell by her smirk that they were totally thinking the same thing. Operation Make Cas and Dean Admit their Epic Love and Start Banging was totally going to happen. And _yes_ that was an _awesome_ secret-operation name that would not be changing. He looked back at Dean’s dumbfounded expression and decided to screw with the guy a little. Stiles gave Cas an obvious once-over and leered at Dean. “So this is the angel that gripped you tight and raised you from perdition? No wonder you kept the guy around,” he finished with the most suggestive eyebrow waggle he could manage. At Dean’s immediate blush and Sam’s choked back laughter, he knew he’d accomplished his goal.            

            Stiles could see the confused looks everyone else but Erica, who had her face shoved into Boyd’s shoulder in an attempt to smother the laughter shaking her whole body, were shooting between him and the hunters. To his surprise, Isaac was the one to speak up.

            “So this is the gay angel?” he asked as he cocked his head at an angle.

            Isaac looked so much like a curious puppy that Stiles couldn’t help but cackle. He could tell that Cas was about to respond, and decided it was time to talk about what everyone was actually here for. He cleared his throat and clapped his hands, “Ok then. I called everyone here because I’ve done some research and I have some questions for _you_ guys,” he pointed to Dean, Sam, and Cas, “that _these_ guys,” he waved a hand to encompass the werewolves, “need to hear the answers to.”

            When Dean had recovered enough to nod for him to continue, Stiles rubbed a hand through his hair and began. “Can the demons possess werewolves? Is that why they’re here? To possess the pack? Because demon-possessed werewolves sound _really fucking terrifying_. And your anti-possession tattoos, is there a way to use those symbols other than a tattoo? Because we need to get these guys demon-proofed, but getting werewolves tatted up isn’t exactly easy. Like, it involves either wolfsbane laced ink or a fucking _blowtorch._ Possession’s pretty much the only thing that’s tripping me up, I know the rest of it. Salt, holy water, devil’s traps, saying _Cristo_ to identify them, hell, I even have exorcisms on my phone and iPod. So, yeah, whatcha got on the anti-possession front?”

            Sam was shocked by how much Stiles knew. This kid was _smart_. “Well, the tattoos sort of work as a reverse devil’s trap. Instead of keeping a demon in, they stop any demon from possessing us. But you don’t have to worry about any werewolves being possessed. Demons can only possess humans.”

            Stiles leaned back into Derek and sighed, “Well thank fuck for that. Ok, so Allison and I are the only pack members in danger of being possessed.” Both Derek and Scott made a pained sort of whine that made Stiles chuckle as Allison tried to soothe Scott. Stiles looked up at Derek and patted him on the cheek. “Don’t worry grumpy-gills, I am fully prepared to kick some demon ass. I actually think I might be more prepared than our new hunter friends.” He grinned as he felt Derek relax beside him and heard Dean’s affronted snort.

            “Dude, I can tell from the salt that you know something about demons, but do you really think you’re more prepared than us? _Seriously_?” Dean tried not to sound like a douche, but if Stiles was just full of shit he was going to get people hurt.

            Stiles pulled his best shit-eating grin and sat up to fully look at Dean. “I know that you two are like the most badass hunters _ever_ , but you keep underestimating me. This isn’t my first rodeo. We’ve dealt with a shit-ton of fucked up monsters; I’ve got my own experience with the supernatural. Plus, I’ve read and researched this stuff virtually continuously since I got shoved into it when I was sixteen. I’ve basically memorized both the Hale and Argent bestiaries. Not to mention that I’ve read your books. _A lot_. And I totally refuse to be embarrassed by that anymore, since it’s actually turned out to be helpful. The lore in those books is always accurate, so I treated them more like manuals than fictional accounts. I’ve had the opportunity to study your techniques and see what worked and what didn’t. I’ve made notes and actually improved upon a lot of the things you guys use the most. So, yeah, excuse me if I’m not cowering in fear like you seem to think I should. I haven’t done that in the past, and I’m not going to start now.” He sucked in a deep breath to calm himself down while Dean gave him an assessing look.

            “Ok.” Dean nodded in assent. “You’re not helpless, that’s good. The demons were drawn to Beacon Hills because of the town’s history with the supernatural. They’re searching for anything they can possibly use to come after us. It’s only a matter of time until they figure out there’s a pack of werewolves in town, if they don’t already know. Once they find you, they’re gonna try to get the pack to help bring us down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, Stiles and Derek are already moving towards a relationship. I honestly didn't plan on that to happen this soon in the story, but it just did. It felt right as I was writing, and I didn't want to force it out. With the relationship they already have and their history together, it just feels like the easy progression of that relationship is completely natural. Of course, it's not going to be all sunshine and roses from now on, I still have to have a central conflict :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles really needs a verbal filter and the Sheriff meets the Winchesters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come over [ here ](http://thenerdyfriend.tumblr.com/) to my tumblr where we can stare at Dylan O'Brien's adorable face.

            “Everybody shut the fuck up,” Derek growled and flashed his red eyes at the betas. After Dean’s pronouncement, everyone had freaked out and started asking questions all at once. When everybody calmed down he looked at the hunters. “They’re after you?” he asked. At Dean’s nod of affirmation he continued, “I don’t care why, and I don’t want all the back-story. We need a plan, before they begin hurting people.”

            Dean noticed how Derek’s eyes cut to Stiles’ face when he said that last part. He hadn’t thought those two were anything more than friends, but the way they’d been practically cuddled together and the meaningful looks they kept shooting at each other had to mean _something_.  He felt a slight pang of jealousy at that realization, but quickly shook it off. He was too damn old to be jealous of a teenager’s weird pining. Yeah, okay, maybe he wished he had something like that with Cas, but he wasn’t _pining_ goddammit.

            Dean shook his head to clear his thoughts and finally answered Derek. “First priority is getting those two,” he points between Stiles and Allison, “protected against possession.” The tattoos would work, but he had another idea. If Cas could keep him and Sam hidden from angels, he could probably manage demon-proofing a couple of kids. He turned to the angel and gestured between him and the humans. “Cas, could you do some kind of Enochian rib-carving that wards off demons?” he asked, thinking this would be a lot simpler than a trip to the local tattoo parlor.

            “Yes, of course,” Cas responded before looking at the two humans. “This will hurt, but it will protect you against possession.” Before Cas could touch Stiles or Allison, Derek was in the angel’s face, a low, threatening growl rumbling in the back of his throat. Dean reached for his gun, instinct telling him to protect Cas. At the movement, Derek’s eyes flash red and his growl grew louder.

            Stiles knew he had to step in before this escalated any further. Stiles stepped forward and placed his hand on the nape of Derek’s neck. The tension visibly drained from Derek’s shoulders, but he continued to growl. Stiles gently squeezed the alpha’s neck and spoke in a quiet murmur, “Derek, it’s okay, he’s not going to hurt me. I think I know what he’s doing, and it really is the best way to protect us from the demons.” The growling had stopped, but Derek’s eyes were still blazing red and he had yet to back away from Cas. Stiles huffed, and tried to hide his amusement at Derek’s protectiveness. “You gotta let him do this, Derek. Okay? Please?” Derek instantly deflated when Stiles said please, which Stiles tried not to be _too_ smug about. He would just file that useful piece of info away for _later_.

            The room had been dead silent during the whole exchange and was now filled with an awkward tension. Derek moved to the side and allowed Cas to once again move toward the two humans. When they both nodded their consent he placed a hand on each of their chests. Allison and Stiles both flinched, but didn’t otherwise react to the pain. As soon as it was over, Cas removed his hands and stepped back from them.

            Allison looked up at Cas and smiled. “Thank you,” she said before going back to sit beside Scott.

            Stiles snapped his eyes open to look down at his chest and then up to Cas. “ _Fuck, that’s cool_ ,” he breathed out. “Thanks for the possession-proofing dude. I really didn’t want the first person to get all up in this to be a demon.” He immediately blushed and began to sputter as he realized the implication of his words. “Um, what? I didn’t just say that. Nope. What were we doing? Planning, a plan, yep we need a plan. To fight the demons. A demon-fighting _plaaaaaaannnn._ ” He drew the word out, hoping someone would jump on the plan idea.  

            _Jesus Christ_ , why didn’t he have a verbal filter like normal people? A normal person wouldn’t admit to being a virgin in front of a whole group of people. Especially when the person he wanted to de-virginize him was in the room. _Fuck_. So, yeah, he was still a virgin. But he was only 19! It is perfectly acceptable to still be a virgin at 19! Oh, who was he fucking kidding, he was only still a virgin because he’d been pining after Derek for years now. He couldn’t even fathom the idea of being with anyone else. For the most part, he’d been pretty sure that him and Derek would never happen. But he’d always been an optimist when it came to love. And look! Now he was almost definitely sure Derek was into him. _Fuck yeah_!

            Thankfully, Stiles was saved from all the awkward when his dad walked through the front door. “Oh, _thank fuck_ ,” he muttered as he moved toward his father. “Dad, daddy, father dearest, I’m so glad you’re home! Did you have a good day? Catch all the bad guys? Scare some youths?” he continued to ramble until the sheriff’s glare finally made him shut up.

            John rolled his eyes at his ridiculous son and gestured to his living room full of people. “Want to tell me what’s going on here kid?”

            Derek, whose mind had been firmly in the gutter since the whole virgin admission, finally tuned back in at the sound of the sheriff’s voice. He waved towards Sam, Dean, and Cas as he began to speak. “These three are hunters who followed demonic omens to Beacon Hills.”

            “Demonic omens?” John questioned, looking to his son.

            Stiles rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced at his dad. “Yeah, so demons are real. But it’s cool, cuz these guys are like grade A, pro demon hunters. And I’ve done enough research to know pretty much everything about demons. Um, yeah, so now we just need to combine those two things and come up with a game-plan,” he finished lamely.

            The sheriff just nodded his head, way too used to this kind of crap already. “So is the salt a demon thing?” At Stiles’ affirmative nod he hummed. “Good thing I had all that in the garage then.”

            “Should I perform the warding on this one also?” Cas’ question caused every person in the room to shift their focus from the sheriff to the angel. His head was tilted as he looked at the older man. “He is in a position of great power. It would be prudent for him to be protected.”

            When Stiles saw the confused expression on his father’s face, he rushed to explain. “Okay, so Cas there isn’t exactly a hunter _per say._ He’s really an angel. And I don’t mean because he’s pretty, although he totally is,” Stiles suggestively waggled his eyebrows at Cas, choking back his laughter when he noticed the practically identical scowls on Dean and Derek’s faces. “Anyway, he’s an actual angel, like powers and everything, and he can do this magic angel stuff that’ll protect you from demonic possession. Only we humans need it, because the wolves can’t be possessed. Which, _hello_ , unfair. But also good because demon-possessed werewolves would be _so fucking terrifying_.” His rant was stopped when his dad cuffed him on the back of the head with a muttered “language Stiles” that had everyone cracking a smile.

            John laughed at his son’s pout and moved to stand in front of Cas. He looked the angel in the eye and dipped his head in confirmation. “Go ahead.” He felt a hand touch his chest, and then an intense burning and sharp pain. Before he could react to the pain, it was over, and the angel was stepping away from him. John noticed Derek staring at him and remembered he needed to talk to his deputy.

             Just before he’d left the station, he had received the lab results from a missing persons case that had the entire police force stumped. John knew there was no point in even trying for privacy with this group, so he didn’t attempt to speak to Derek alone. “Derek, the lab results for the Johnson case finally came in, although I’m not sure how much help they’ll be. Turns out that yellow powder we found place is sulfur.”

            “ _Shit_ ,” Stiles hissed as he rubbed a hand over his face. He knew exactly what case his dad was talking about. Mark and Matt Johnson had been in Stiles grade at BHHS. The twins always kept to themselves, so most people didn’t know them that well. In fact, Stiles was one of the only people they’d interacted with in school, and that was only when he was tutoring them for English. The two boys had been missing for about a week, and the police had yet to find any real leads. But Stiles knew what the sulfur meant.

            Dean decided it was time to introduce himself to the sheriff. He moved toward the older man and greeted him with a firm hand shake and a nod. “Sir. My name’s Dean, this is my brother Sam, and that’s Cas,” he motioned toward the two of them. “If you found sulfur at a crime scene, that means it’s connected to the demons. Whoever’s missing has probably been possessed. We want to help. Would it be possible for us to look at the crime scene in the morning?”

            John took a minute to consider the offer. He was out of his element with the supernatural stuff, and he’d take whatever help he could get. “Of course. Be here in the morning at 8:00. One of us will take you to the scene.”

**********

            When Dean and Sam showed up in the morning, they were expecting either the sheriff or Derek to meet them. Instead, they saw Stiles waiting on the porch. Dean rolled down the window as Stiles walked toward the car. “Thought either your dad or boyfriend were gonna be taking us to the crime scene?” He knew he was acting like a dick, but he figured the kid deserved it after all the shit he’d said about Cas. He noticed the smile and blush that appeared at the word ‘boyfriend’ and chuckled as the kid climbed into the back seat.

            Stiles felt the heat on his face and tried to will away his blush. “Shut up asshole. Dad had to be in court this morning and Derek’s out on a call. Where’s your angel, you two have a lover’s spat?” Sam’s laugh filled the car, causing Dean to glare at Stiles in the rear-view mirror.

            “ _No._ He’s checking some leads to see what he can find out about the demons’ plan.” Dean could feel his cheeks heating. This kid was such a little shit.

             Stiles just gave his best shit-eating grin as he told Dean the directions to the crime scene.

            When they showed up at the apartment Stiles looked around to make sure no one was watching them. The last thing they needed was somebody seeing the sheriff’s kid breaking into a crime scene with two strange dudes with guns. He unlocked the door with the key his dad had given him and moved inside the building. Stiles stayed by the front door, not wanting to get in the hunters’ way.

            Sam and Dean searched throughout the apartment, looking for anything that might be important. They split up to search the bedrooms, and they both noticed the sulfur along the windowsill in the rooms, but that was the only thing out of place. Dean heard a dull thud come from the room across the hall and went to see what it was. Before he could turn around, he heard a loud crack and felt a sharp pain along the back of his neck. He felt clammy hands grab his wrists before he lost consciousness.

            Stiles heard the pained groan from the bedroom and knew that something was wrong. He turned toward the hallway and was greeted by a ragged looking Mark Johnson before he felt the sting of a needle in his arm and was swallowed by darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! I have always wanted to do that! Sorry (but not really). Also, virgin!Stiles. I know that not everybody's gonna agree with me on that one, but meh, whatever. The dude's pretty much been in love with Derek since he was 16. If he didn't pursue anyone else while he was infatuated with Lydia, why would he when he was actually in love with Derek? And it is totally okay to still be a virgin at 19. I hate when people make a huge deal about that kind of thing. That is such a personal decision, and no one should be ridiculed for how late (or early) they decide to have sex. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter, in which there is some Stiles badassery! (If that's not a real word, it should totally be one)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demons have Stiles and the Winchesters. Will Derek be able to find them before it's too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between work and family, my week has been ridiculous and I have had virtually no time to write. Thankfully (or not?) my crazy-ass insomnia kicked in last night, and I was hit with the writing bug. So this chapter was written at 3 am and then proofread after only four hours of sleep. I think it still turned out alright though, if a little short. Hope you guys enjoy it!

             Derek made it back to the station by midday. When he got to his desk and checked his phone, he was surprised to see that Stiles hadn’t contacted him at all. He and the Winchesters should’ve found something by now. A cold knot formed in the pit of Derek’s stomach as he realized that something wasn’t right. He was about to call the sheriff to see if he knew he anything when he was suddenly face-to-face with Cas. He knew what the angel was going to say before the words ever left his mouth.

            “The demons have them. Wherever they’re being held must be warded against angels, because I have not been able to locate them.”

            Derek closed his eyes and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He should’ve known something like this would happen. He’d underestimated their enemy, and now Stiles’ life was at stake. He forced down the all-consuming panic that was threatening to overtake him at that thought. If he lost it now, he would be no help to Stiles. He used every ounce of his self-control to keep from falling apart.

            When he looked up at Castiel, he saw the same hunted expression he knew must be on his face mirrored on the angel’s. Realizing that the angel had just as much to lose somehow made Derek feel better. “Where’s the last place you know of them being?” Derek knew they had to have something to go on to form any kind of plan.

            “The crime scene. That’s where they were taken.”

            Derek nodded. He’d figured that’s where they would’ve gotten jumped. “I’ll send Scott over there to see if he can pick up any kind of scent trail. I’m going to see if I can track the GPS on Stiles’ phone. Maybe the demons weren’t smart enough to get rid of it.” Some days, Derek was really fucking glad he’d decided to become a cop.

**********

            The first thing Dean was aware of was the pounding in the back of his skull. He could feel ropes cutting into his skin and groaned at the stiffness throughout his entire body. When he managed to open his eyes, he was relieved to see Stiles and Sam both in the room with him and both still unconscious. Sam was bound to a chair just like him, but Stiles was only restrained by a pair of handcuffs looped through the bars of a heater.

            “So glad to see the princess has awoken from her beauty sleep.”

            Dean’s head whipped around to find the speaker. A boy who looked about Stiles’ age was grinning in the doorway. Dean watched as they boy’s eyes flicked to black and his grin grew into something feral.

            “You know Dean, this is so _disappointing_ ,” the demon sauntered further into the room. “All the stories of the big bad Winchesters. You boys hardly live up to the legend. My brother and I came to Beacon Hills searching for something that would help us kill you. We knew this town had quite the history. Thought maybe there was something here that would want to help take down the biggest pains in the ass to ever hunt our kind. We never thought you would show up here and basically offer yourselves up, gift-wrapped and all.”

            Dean barely restrained from rolling his eyes at the douche bag demon. He would never understand why these guys felt the need to monologue it out. Did bad guys just love the sound of their own voice that much? Talk about ego-stroking, _Jesus_. “Could you hurry along with the evil speech? I’d really like to get to the part where I gank your ass.” Dean grinned, just hoping to piss the guy off and throw him off his game.

            “Don’t make me laugh,” the demon snorted. “You’re in no position to _gank_ my ass, as you put it. You’re no longer our end goal. This was all just so anti-climactic that my brother and I have set our sights on something even better.” The demon smirked as he crowded into Dean’s space. “We’ve been watching, and we know that you’ve been hanging with this little human,” the demon sneered at Stiles. “And we know that he’s connected to whatever is at the center of this town’s supernatural history. You’ll tell us what’s here and everything about them.”

            “And why would I do that?” Dean questioned.

            The demon grinned down at him. “Now Dean, you and I both know you what a soft spot you have for those close to you. Just think of what I can do to your brother or your little friend if you’re not willing to cooperate. I’ll give you a few hours to decide if you want to do this the easy way or the _fun_ way.” The demon stroked Dean’s face before pulling back and walking out of the room, the heavy door banging shut behind him.

            Dean could only pray that Sam and Stiles would wake up soon and be able to come up with some kind of plan.   

**********

            Derek and Cas stood in the sheriff’s office while they waited for the GPS search to finish. Scott had followed Stiles’ scent from the crime scene to about a block away, where it abruptly ended in a small alley. Derek knew that must’ve been where the demons had a vehicle waiting. He’d sent the pack out to run their usual patrols to see if they stumbled upon anything that might be a lead. He knew he was grasping at straws here, but he was going to exhaust every available resource he had to find Stiles.

            Derek was desperately trying to keep his thoughts occupied with the search so he wouldn’t dwell on all the regrets flashing through his mind. All these years, he’d been so afraid of getting his heart broken or scaring Stiles away that he’d never acted on his feelings. And now he might never get the chance to tell Stiles he loved him. Derek steeled his resolve before he could spiral even further into self-loathing. Stiles would be fine. Derek would find him, and as soon as he did, he would make sure that Stiles knew _exactly_ how Derek felt about him.

**********

            Stiles jolted awaked at the sound of the metal door slamming. He looked around the room in confusion before he remembered being drugged that morning. The pounding in his head and the heaviness in his limbs told him that the drugs weren’t completely out of his system yet. He finally noticed the other two men in the room with him. Stiles took a moment to be thankful that they hadn’t been separated. Them being together would make escape that much easier. When he saw that Dean was already awake he let out a relieved sigh.

            Dean saw that Stiles was waking up and prepared himself for a freakout. He knew the kid acted tough, but being drugged and kidnapped was enough to scare anybody. He definitely wasn’t expecting a dry chuckle and the slow smile that spread across Stiles’ face. He did not need this kid to have a mental breakdown. “You okay man?”

            Stiles glanced at Dean and grinned at the confusion on the hunter’s face. “Just peachy dude. These fuckers are _amateurs_. They put us all in the same room and I’m only in handcuffs. I mean seriously? I’m the sheriff’s kid, do you know how many times I got stuck in my dad’s cuffs and couldn’t find the key? I’ve been able to slip these things since I was six.” God, these assholes hadn’t even tightened the cuffs all the way. Once again, the bad guy had seen Stiles as the weakest link, and therefore completely underestimated him.

            Stiles popped his thumbs out of joint and yanked against the metal cuffs. When they slipped off his wrists he stood and checked himself over for any injuries. He laughed again when he realized they hadn’t found the knife in his boot. He straightened up and waved the blade at Dean, who was looking at him in utter shock.

            “This isn’t the first time you’ve been kidnapped, is it?” he asked incredulously. He was beginning to realize that Stiles might be as formidable as he claimed.

            Stiles snorted as he made his way over to the hunter. “Um, no? After Derek’s creepy ass uncle Peter, the geriatric nightmare that was Gerard Argent, a bloodthirsty pack of alpha werewolves, and some of the other creatures we’ve faced I think I’ve actually lost count by now on how many times I’ve been kidnapped and/or directly threatened. Kind of loses its luster after the first few times.” Stiles cut through Dean’s ropes and passed him the knife so he could release Sam who was now waking up.

            Dean cut his brother loose while Stiles checked out the rest of the room. When Sam was standing and rubbing the feeling back into his hands, Dean filled them both in on his earlier encounter with one of the demons.

            Sam thought over everything his brother said. If the demons didn’t know anything yet, the pack wasn’t in any immediate danger. They had the element of surprise here and the perfect opportunity to take these demons out. “We need a plan for when they come back. If they’re expecting us to be tied up and helpless, we have the chance to get the drop on them and finish this whole thing.

            Dean nodded along with Sam. “You’re right. We finish this here and now. We just need to come up with something . . .” he was interrupted by Stiles’ groan from the other end of the room.

            “ _Really_? Oh my _god_ , they are _amateurs_. They put all our stuff on a table over here. They didn’t even turn our phones off. I mean, it’s not like there’s any signal, but have these douches never heard of fucking GPS? Derek’s probably already tracking my phone.” Stiles was kind of offended. These demons must have been some cocky assholes to think that kidnapping the Winchesters would be this easy.

            Dean walked over to the table and scooped up his weapons and phone. He had to agree with Stiles for once, these demons were pretty pathetic. “We need something to make a devil’s trap. Any ideas?” he asked, looking between Sam and Stiles. The two of them shared a look, and seemed to have the same idea.

            Sam was the one to speak up. “Blood. It’s the only option we have. We’ll paint a big one on the ceiling in front of the door. We can use the chairs to reach.”  

            Stiles hummed in agreement and reached for a knife only to be stopped by Dean. “Dude, what?”

            “Sam and I will paint the trap. You can listen by the door in case they come back before we’re ready.” Dean left no room for argument. He could tell the kid was still a little woozy and he didn’t need to make that worse by loosing blood.

            Stiles huffed, but went along with it. “Fine then.”

**********

            John walked into his office to see Derek staring at the computer screen. While he didn’t mind Derek being in here, it was out of character for the deputy. He took in the tension coming off Derek in waves and knew something had to be wrong. “What is it this time Derek?” he asked, fearing he already knew the answer. He could only think of one thing that would affect Derek this much.

            Derek looked up and saw his own fear reflected in the sheriff’s eyes. “They have Stiles. They took him and the Winchesters from the crime scene this morning. I’m tracking the GPS on his phone. Right now that’s our only lead.”

            John let out a shaky breath. That’s what he’d thought. He knew that Stiles was the only one who could crack Derek’s control like this. He walked over to the younger man and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “We both know that kid’s not helpless, and at least the hunters are with him. I know you’ll do everything in your power to get him back.” He squeezed Derek’s shoulder and moved to sit down on the other side of the desk.

            Derek took a deep breath and let the sheriff’s words reassure him. It was humbling to know that John trusted him that much. He looked up into sheriff’s eyes and decided he might as well put all his cards on the table. “This might not seem like the best time to ask this, but when we get him back, I’d like to have your blessing to date your son.”

            John let out a low chuckle as he rubbed a hand down his face. It was about time those two pulled their heads out of their asses. “It’s about damn time, son. You know I already consider you family. Best part is I don’t even have to give you the shovel speech, because I know Stiles won’t let you get away with anything.”

 

            Derek tried to swallow past the lump in his throat caused by the sheriff’s easy acceptance. Sometimes it was still strange to feel like part of a family again. He was saved from replying by the sudden beeping of the computer. The sheriff shot up at the noise and came over to look at the screen with him. Stiles’ phone was in an abandoned warehouse in the industrial end of town. Derek needed to get the pack together and come up with a plan of attack. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it acceptable? Sorry the lack of violence and or torture if that's your thing, but I have a penchant for over-confident bad guys whose cockiness causes them to fuck up. And let's be honest here, Crowley is the only demon to never underestimate the Winchesters (which is why he's still alive). Come check me out on tumblr [ here ](http://thenerdyfriend.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles has a bit of a heart-to-heart with Dean while they await their captors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD YOU GUYS I'M SO FUCKING SORRY! I'm a terrible person, and you all probably hate me. But look! FEELINGS! YAY!

Stiles was going out of his mind with boredom. It hadn’t taken Sam and Dean long to paint the devil’s trap (they had _a lot_ of experience with those things). Now they were all biding their time until the demons returned. Stiles had been planning to have little talk with Dean eventually, and he figured that particular conversation would go best when Dean didn’t have the option to just walk away. Stiles cleared his throat and hoped for the best.

            “So. Dean. You and Cas. Are you seriously trying to act like there’s nothing between you guys? Because I’m not exaggerating when I say how much I’ve read the books. And anyone whose read those books even once can pick up on the sexual tension between you two. So what’s the deal? Are you completely oblivious, or just scared to make a move?” Stiles knew that was harsh. He really didn’t have much room to talk about pining, but he felt obligated to make Dean talk about this. He had a habit of trying to help emotionally constipated people deal with their issues.

            Dean’s jaw twitched as he glared at the floor. He knew Stiles was kind of an asshole, but that was a low blow. He was not going to have some chick-flick moment and talk about his love life (or lack thereof) while he was trapped by demons. He knew Stiles wouldn’t just drop it though.

            Stiles groaned when he realized Dean was just going to glare at the floor like a petulant toddler.  Whatever, Dean could act like an emotionally-stunted brat. Stiles was pretty good at having mostly one-sided conversations. “Dude, come on, it is not that bad. I get it okay? I mean the whole pining thing? I’m like a master of that shit. I know what it’s like to want someone who you think is ridiculously out of reach. It _sucks_ right? Feeling like you’ll never be good enough, you’ll never be anywhere _near_ their league. And even though you just _know_ that they’ll never want you like that, it doesn’t matter. Because just being in their life, being their friend, is enough. Even though it’s like a physical pain to be that close and still out of reach, you deal with it to be near them.”

            By the time Stiles finished his speech, Dean was absolutely seething. “Whatever,” he grunted. “You seemed awfully close to Derek for someone who’s just _pining_.” What the hell did this kid know? It wasn’t like that with him and Cas, _it wasn’t_. Yeah, Dean had his moments when he thought there might be something between them, but he knew better. Cas was a fucking _Angel of the Lord_ for christsakes. He wasn’t interested in something so menial as a relationship with Dean.

            Stiles couldn’t help but smirk at Dean’s comment. “Yeah well, that’s a recent development.” He grinned at the disbelieving look Dean shot him and knew he’d have to explain. “No really, extremely recent. As in right before everyone came to my house last night. We haven’t even kissed.” Stiles couldn’t help the flush that spread across his cheeks as he said that. Damn, he needed to fix that. As soon as they dealt with these douchenugget demons, he was going to climb Derek like a fucking tree.

            Sam had been trying to stay silent this whole time, but he couldn’t help the curious sound he made. Dean wasn’t faring much better. Even though he didn’t want to talk about him and Cas, he was intrigued by what Stiles was saying.

            Stiles watched in amusement as both brothers tried to hide their curiosity. Finally he couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “Oh my god, your _faces_ ,” he giggled. “You guys look like I just pulled a rabbit out of my ass or something.” Dean’s face scrunched up in disgust, which just made Stiles laugh even harder. When he was able to breathe again, he continued his story.

            “I know, it’s crazy right? I mean I’ve known the guy for years. And yeah, he’s always been painfully hot, but he used to be a gigantic growly asshole. But after saving each other’s lives a few times, I realized that he wasn’t a bad guy. He’d just had a really shitty life. And then he turned into a real boy and started using his words and I was just so glad to be one of the people he trusted that I didn’t dare to hope for anything more. But I guess he actually kind of likes me, which is fucking _mind-blowing_.” As Stiles spoke his smile grew, and by the time he was finished he had the dopiest grin on his face and couldn’t stop blushing.

            Dean was floored by Stiles’ admission. He didn’t understand how Stiles could just openly talk about all of this and not feel weird. Dean had spent his entire life avoiding his emotions, and it was a hard habit to break. He cleared his throat as he tried to come up with a response. “Look, kid, it sounds like you’ve got a good thing going here. But – with me and Cas – it’s just – “

            Dean was interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside the door. The three of them immediately forgot about their conversation and prepared to make their stand.

**********

            Derek’s skin was crawling with nervous anticipation. Their plan wasn’t perfect, but they didn’t have the time to fret over every single detail. It didn’t help that the only ones who really knew about fighting demons were the ones who had been kidnapped. Right now he was working mostly off of adrenaline and a few ideas Erica had from reading the _Supernatural_ books. He felt like a dumbass relying on a fictional book series for tactical ideas, but his options were limited at this point.

            The pack was gathered in the parking lot of the sheriff’s station preparing for their assault. Erica had brought them all bottles of holy water and pouches of rock salt, and was currently recording exorcisms to everyone’s phone. Derek was pretty sure these were the most ridiculous weapons he’d ever used, but he trusted Erica’s knowledge. He would get Stiles back, no matter what.

**********

            When the two demons entered the room, everything looked just as they had left it. They couldn’t believe how easy it had been to capture the feared Winchesters.  Their sense of triumph was immediately replaced with confusion though when they both smacked up against an invisible wall.

            Stiles couldn’t stop the sharp bark of laughter at the demon’s smooshed expressions. “Holy fuck, your _faces_ ,” he choked out between breaths. “You look like those really confused birds that fly into glass doors.”

            Dean huffed in amusement. “You know, kid’s got a point,” he said, standing. “Did you clowns really think it would be that easy? Cuz if ya did, you might just be as stupid as you look.” He grinned when the demons turned their murderous expressions toward him. “It’s like you thought we were amateurs or something. I’m actually sorta offended.”

            Sam shot his brother an amused glance before beginning to recite the exorcism he knew all too well. “ _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus.”_ As Sam spoke, the demons thrashed about, trying in vain to break free of the trap. _“Omnis satanic potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversari, omnis legio, omnis congregation et secta diabolica._ ” Black smoke billowed up to the ceiling and the two bodies collapsed to the floor.

            “ _Jesus_ ,” Stiles breathed, “that was even cooler than I thought it would be.” He snapped out of his reverie when he heard one of the twins let out a low groan. “Think they’ll be okay?” he asked Dean, who had moved to check over the two men.

            Dean nodded. “Probably have some killer migraines, but they’ll be alright.”

            Before Stiles could express his gratitude at that, he had a worrying thought. “Shit. How long have we been here? The pack’s got to be freaking out by now.” When he checked the time on his phone, he realized they’d been missing most of the day.  He hated that he’d once again caused his dad and friends distress, but at least he hadn’t been harmed this time.

            Sam grimaced at the thought of the werewolves losing their control. “You should call them and let them know you’re fine. They can come get us, and Derek can figure out what to do with these two,” he gestured at the still unconscious twins.

            Stiles nodded in agreement and hit the speed dial on his phone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a horrible, horrible human being, and I apologize for the 3 month hiatus from this fic. Seriously though, if any of you guys stick with this thing you're absolute saints.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunion at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, updates two days in a row, WHAT. Look at me being all productive *pats self on back*.

            The pack was almost ready to leave the station when Derek’s phone broke the silence that had surrounded them. “ _I was a teenage werewolf, braces on my fangs, I was a teenage werewolf, and no one even said thanks_.” Even with the stress they were under, a few of them had trouble containing their reactions to Derek’s unexpected ringtone.

            “Really, Derek?” Scott wheezed, barely able to breathe through his fit of giggles.

            Derek didn’t respond though, because that was _Stiles’_ ringtone _._ (The little brat had a habit of stealing Derek’s phone and changing his personal ringtone to wolf-themed songs. Derek pretended to be annoyed, but really he thought it was kind of cute.) Hands shaking, he answered the phone. “Stiles _?_ ” He sounded wrecked, voice hoarse and cracking.

            “Hey, Derek”, Stiles said, a note of apology in his voice.

            “ _Stiles_ ”, he exhaled. His mate’s voice had served to calm him momentarily, but he then remembered that Stiles had been kidnapped and they still didn’t know if he’d been hurt. “Stiles, fuck, are you okay? We’re on our way to come get you now. Are you hurt? Did they hurt you? I’m going to fucking kill them.” Derek’s control was beginning to slip. His eyes were bleeding into the alpha red, and his claws were beginning to stab into his clenched fists. He faintly recognized a low growling noise, but didn’t realize he was the one making it.

            Though Stiles felt bad for making Derek worry, his obvious concern filled Stiles with warmth. However, he knew that he needed to calm the alpha down. “Derek, shh, it’s okay, I’m fine, I swear. Nobody hurt me. You don’t have to rip out any throats with your teeth.” Both Winchesters looked mildly horrified at that, but Stiles chose to ignore them.

            Stiles’ calming voice and teasing tone did their job, and Derek reigned in his wolf’s protective instincts. “Stiles, what happened? Are they gone now?” He motioned to the others to get in the cars and head to the warehouse. He could drive and talk to Stiles at the same time, and he needed to see Stiles _now_.

            “Oh, well, ya know, the usual,” Stiles chuckled, “got kidnapped by a couple dumbass demons. How was your day?” Stiles couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Plus he knew that Derek would be less freaked out if he joked about it.

            Derek snorted at Stiles’ nonchalant attitude. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?” he knew the words wouldn’t sting because he couldn’t keep the fondness out of his voice. “What did you do to them?”

            Stiles smiled at Derek’s assumption that he’d been the one to do something to the demons. Derek knew just how dangerous he could be and never underestimated him. “The stupid fuckers tried to restrain me with _handcuffs_ ,Derek. They left us all in the same room _with our weapons_. It was actually kind of insulting. I’m used to a higher class of criminal.” Stiles heard Dean snort and shot the hunter an amused grin.

            Derek had to chuckle too. Those demons were dumbasses. “We’ll be there in a few minutes Stiles. You sure you’re okay?” He wouldn’t believe that his mate was unharmed until he could check him over for himself.

            “Yes, you big worry-wolf, I’m _fine_. I told you, these chuckle-heads were harmless. I slipped the cuffs and cut Sam and Dean free. They painted a devil’s trap on the ceiling and then exorcised the stupid fuckers when they came back.” Stiles made his way outside the warehouse while he talked. He wanted to see Derek as soon as he arrived.

            “Don’t call me that, Stiles,” he really didn’t know how he came up with all these ridiculous nicknames. Derek felt some of the tension leave him as Stiles explained that the demons were gone for good. They were coming up on the warehouse now and Derek could see Stiles standing near the road. The worry he’d been holding onto all day seeped out of his body and was replaced by an intense desire to be close to this person he loved with everything he was. All day he’d been scared that he’d lose Stiles before he’d ever had the chance to really _have_ him. Fuck that. Derek was done with the pining shit. He was going to just put it all out there, tell Stiles everything and see where it goes.

            “Almost there, I can see you now,” Derek was parking the car maybe 20ft away from Stiles, but he’d yet to hang up the phone. He couldn’t bear to lose that connection until he could physically touch Stiles.

            “Oh my God, you are such a dork. Why are you still on the phone? You’re _right here_!” Stiles was flailing the hand not currently holding his phone.

            “I don’t know, Stiles, why are _you_ still on the phone?” Derek asked, smirking as he walked up to Stiles and stopped just a foot in front of him, phone still at his ear.

            Stiles couldn’t help the small grin that spread across his face. “You’re going to be a huge sap, aren’t you?” He had to admit the idea was appealing.

            Dean exited the warehouse and saw the nauseatingly adorable spectacle Stiles and Derek were making of themselves as they stared at each other, both grinning with their phones still held to their ears. He remembered himself and Cas doing pretty much the same thing, but liked to think he hadn’t looked quite as _smitten_ as these two. Still, it gave him a bit of hope for his own prospects. “You two idiots do know you can hang up now, right?” he couldn’t help but interrupt, just to fuck with the little shit.

            Stiles’ head snapped over to Dean and gave him an evil glare. “Shut the fuck up Winchester. Don’t be a cock-block just because you’re not getting any.” He turned back to Derek only to realize that he’d moved even close while Stiles was distracted. “Oh,” was pretty much the only thing he could think to say. He couldn’t think of anything beyond how close and warm Derek was.

            Derek reached down and grabbed Stiles’ phone out of his now limp hand. He smirked at the shiver that ran through Stiles when their fingers brushed together. He slipped the phone into Stiles’ back pocket, spread his hand over the small of Stiles’ back and pulled the boy tight against his chest.

            Stiles’ brain was officially melted. He’d never been this turned on before in his life, and they hadn’t even kissed yet. Derek’s hand was a searing heat on his back, and Stiles could feel every hard muscle of Derek’s chest against his front. He knew he should really do or say something at this point, but he couldn’t think of what.

            Derek reached up with his other hand and cupped the side of Stiles’ face. He ran his thumb along Stiles’ cheekbone and looked into his eyes to make sure this was okay. When their eyes met, Stiles let out a wounded sound and leaned in the slightest amount. That was a good enough confirmation for Derek. He leaned in the rest of the way and lightly pressed his lips to Stiles’.

            Stiles was frozen for about a second before he let out a broken moan and threw everything he had into the kiss. He wound his arms around Derek’s neck and tugged lightly at his hair. Derek let out a shocked moan, and Stiles seized the opportunity to slip his tongue into Derek’s mouth.

            Derek growled and moved his hand from Stiles’ face to the back of his head. He crowded in against Stiles, forcing them up against the outer wall of the warehouse. He shifted his other hand to grab at Stiles’ ass and pull him even closer.

            Stiles whimpered when he felt how hard Derek was. He tightened his arms and pulled Derek even closer, rolling his hips up to gain some friction.

            Derek moved his hands to Stiles’ hips and forced them to still. He didn’t want to stop, but he knew they had an audience and the more possessive part of himself didn’t want anyone else to see Stiles like this. He rubbed his thumbs along Stiles’ hipbones and pressed one last soft kiss to Stiles swollen, glistening lips. He was already thinking of what else might make Stiles lips look like that. He let out a shaky breath and pressed his forehead to Stiles’, still needing that contact to ground him.

            Stiles whined at the loss of Derek’s lips, but smiled as he looked into those ridiculously beautiful hazel-green eyes. “Hey,” he breathed out, his face turning red at the look of utter adoration on Derek’s face.

            “Hey,” Derek replied, breaking out into a smile so big it was almost painful.

            Stiles heart skipped a beat at Derek’s blindingly beautiful smile. He’d never seen Derek look so _happy_ , and to know that he caused that smile was more than a bit overwhelming.

            The intimate atmosphere between them was shattered when Erica wolf-whistled from just a few feet away. “ _Damn_ , that was hot. You guys think you’d be into exhibitionism, because I’d pay to see that again.” She smirked evilly when Stiles’ cheeks flushed even darker and Derek’s eyes flashed red.

            “Erica, shut the fuck up,” Derek growled, his eyes never breaking away from Stiles’. “You guys take care of everything here and let the Sheriff know that Stiles is okay.”

            “Wait, why do we have to do everything?” Isaac asked, annoyed at Derek’s bossiness.

            Derek tore his eyes away from Stiles to glare at his beta. “Because my mate’s life was threatened today, and I’m having a little trouble controlling myself right now. Is that a good enough reason for you, Isaac?” he asked sarcastically.

            Derek watched as his betas moved to do as they were instructed, then looked back at Stiles.

            “Your _mate_?” Stiles asked, voice barely above a whisper. He knew that werewolves mated for life, but he’d never really talked to any of the pack members about the specifics. Even he knew some things were too private to discuss with others. Plus he didn’t really want to know just how much he was missing out on when he thought he had no chance with Derek. He was confused, but Derek’s words filled him with hope.

            Derek winced at Stiles question. He hadn’t meant for that to slip out in front of everyone, but there was no going back now. He’d planned on telling Stiles anyway, and no time was better than the present. He did at least want to be somewhere more private though when they had this particular conversation. “Um, yeah, I was going to fill you in later, but I kind of got carried away when I saw that you were okay. Can we have this conversation at my place though?” If Stiles was going to turn him down, he didn’t want anyone else to witness it.

            Stiles smiled at Derek’s nervous tone. God, how was it possible for a grown man to be so downright _adorable_? He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to Derek’s lips, hoping to show him he had nothing to worry about. “Sure thing sappy-wolf,” he teased as he grabbed Derek’s hand and led him to the camaro. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it satisfactory? Did you like the kiss? Let me know what you thought in the comments or on tumblr or twitter! Feedback is super encouraging :)
> 
> P.S. Did anyone catch the blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to the Sherlock series finale? I'M STILL NOT OVER THAT SHIT, OKAY


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack celebrates and Stiles and Derek /finally/ have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait guys. I hope the emotional fluff is worth the wait!

            After they finished at the warehouse and filled the Sheriff in on everything, the Winchesters and the pack decided to grab some food. Erica was thrumming with delighted energy and couldn't keep the almost-evil grin off her face. Finally, she can’t stay quiet any longer. “Jesus, can you guys believe it? We need to celebrate or something.”

            Dean snorts and looks up from his menu. “You’d think you guys have never won a fight before. You didn’t even do anything.”

            “Oh my god, are you really that thick? That’s not what we’re celebrating, dumbass,” she says derisively.

            “Then what the hell _are_ you celebrating?” he asks, honestly confused by her excitement. Actually, now that he’s thinking about it, all the pack members seem ridiculously happy. He looks over and notices that even his brother has a small smile on his face. “What are all you weirdoes smiling about? You’re starting to creep me out.”

            Erica just looks at Dean like he’s the stupidest person she’s ever met. “We’re celebrating because all the sexual tension between those two idiots is finally being resolved.”

            “Yeah, I was getting blue-balls just watching them pine,” Scott chimes in from the other end of the table. “They’ve been at it for _years._ ”

            Allison lets out a small laugh. “Oh my god, do you remember that time Stiles and Danny had to pair up for that history project, and Derek saw them at the library together and thought they were dating? He looked like someone killed his puppy.”

            “That isn’t nearly as bad as Stiles’ reaction when Derek first became a deputy,” Isaac says and everyone immediately groans.

            Sam shares a confused look with his brother before asking, “What happened?”

            Isaac blushes a little before replying, “Stiles _really_ likes the way Derek looks in a uniform.”

            Erica snorts. “That’s a fucking understatement. It took him two months to quit popping awkward boners whenever Derek wore the damn thing. It’s been over a year now, and Stiles still gets this dreamy and slightly disturbing look on his face whenever Derek wears it.”

            “So they really weren’t together before? This just happened?” Dean still isn’t sure whether he believes that or not.

            Scott nods in agreement. “It’s crazy right? I mean, we could all see how into each other they were, _they_ just couldn’t see it.”

            At this Sam coughs and mumbles “that sounds familiar”. Dean doesn’t quite catch what his brother says, but Erica immediately starts cackling.

            “You’re fucking right it does,” she says to Sam and then turns her gaze on Dean. “But we’re going to fix that, aren’t we?” Dean just looks around the table, once again utterly confused, but Sam bursts out laughing.

**********

                When they get to the Hale house Stiles goes to sit on the couch, patiently waiting for Derek to start talking. After long minutes of Derek pacing back and forth without uttering a

single word, Stiles realizes he’s going to have to initiate this conversation. “How long have you known I was your mate?” There, that’s a pretty easy place to start.

            Derek stills and looks up at Stiles. He swallows convulsively and clears his throat before answering. “Maybe two years? It took me a while to figure it out because everything, especially

me, was so messed up that first year I was back here.” He takes a seat next to Stiles, needing the comfort of his presence.

            Stiles takes a minute to think that over. Two years is a long time. He can’t imagine why Derek didn’t act on something so major. “How did you know it was me?” He’s always wondered

how the wolves just _knew_ who their mate was.

            Derek’s not quite sure how to answer that. After a few minutes of silence, he just starts talking. “Well, at first I t thought you were this annoying kid who was just going to get himself hurt.”

            “Gee, thanks, Derek” Stiles mutters.

            “No, Stiles, let me finish. The more time I spent with you, the more I realized how wrong I had been. You’re brave, loyal, scary smart, and just amazing,” he finishes, fondness creeping into his voice.

            Stiles blushes at the praise but manages to respond. “Ok, but how does liking me make me your mate? Isn’t there more to it than that?”

            Derek nods and tries to think of the best way to say this. “I’ve always been drawn to you. I started to crave the time we spent together. Getting your help with research, making sure

you didn’t get yourself killed trying to help us, and then eventually just spending time with you. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter as long as we were together. I always feel relaxed and safe

when you’re with me. You feel like _home_. My instincts won’t let me feel like that with just anyone.”

            Stiles is shocked for a moment, he’s pretty sure that’s the most Derek’s ever said at once. He still doesn’t understand why Derek didn’t tell him though. “Why didn’t you say anything?

Were you disappointed it was me?” That’s really the only reason he can think of for Derek not acting on this. Of course Derek didn’t want him for a mate, who would?

            “What?” Derek asks, shocked by Stiles’ assumption. “No. That’s not it _at all_. When I finally realized what was happening, I didn’t want to put that much pressure on you. You’re still so

young and have so much ahead of you, and this isn’t just a fling for me. Mates are for life and I didn’t want to force you into that kind of decision before you’d even finished high school.”

Derek still didn’t want to force Stiles into anything. He wanted what was best for Stiles, and he wasn’t convinced that he was that for him.

            “Ok, but I graduated over a year ago. Why are you telling me now?”

            Derek sighed. He really sucked at this. He was naturally a quiet person, and talking about emotions was especially hard for him. But he knew that if he wanted any chance of this

working, he had to be completely honest with Stiles. “I was just so tired of hiding everything. And then today. God, I was so scared I would lose you. And all I could think was ‘he doesn’t even

know, I never told him how I feel’. I know it’s selfish of me to ask so much of you, but you can say no. Whatever you’re comfortable with is fine with me. If you still want to be just friends, I

completely understand.”

            Stiles honestly couldn’t believe how open Derek was being. He knew how hard that was for him. There was still one thing he needed to know though. “So how do you feel?”

            “What?” Derek had no idea where Stiles was going with this.

            Stiles smiled and rubbed Derek’s knee to comfort him. “How do you _feel_ about all of this, Derek? From what you’ve said, it sounds like you didn’t really get a choice in the matter. And

I’m not Kate. I’m not going to take advantage of you. I love you too much to agree to something that’s just a fluke of your werewolf biology. If you don’t actually want this, if you don’t actually

want _me_ , I’m not going to force you into it.”

            Derek went absolutely still at Stiles’ words. He looked up to meet Stiles’ eyes, wondering what he would find there. “You love me?” He was embarrassed by how small his voice sounded,

but he couldn’t help it.

            Stiles starts to flail as he tries to answer. “Oh my god, Derek, really? That’s all you got form that? Of course I’m in love with you, you fucking idiot. I thought it was painfully obvious. I’ve

been in love with you since I had to save your ass after Kate shot you with that wolfsbane bullet. When you passed out in the exam room I thought you died, and I couldn’t figure out why the

idea of you being dead hurt so much. So yes, I love you, b –“

            Derek cuts Stiles off by lunging forward and claiming his mouth in a passionate kiss. After a long moment he breaks away but keeps their heads pressed together, breathing each

other’s air. “Stiles, fuck, I love you so much and I want this so bad it hurts. Do you have any idea how hard it was to not just take what I wanted? All my instincts screaming at me to claim you,

but I could never force you into something. Could never hurt you.”

            Stiles’ mind was reeling. It didn’t help that all his blood was rushing to his crotch, and he pretty much couldn’t think about anything but the feeling of Derek’s hands in his hair and

Derek’s mouth on his. He was anxious to get those hands and mouth to other places. “Derek,” he rasped out, “can we do the claiming thing now? I’d really like to get to that part.”

            Derek growled, making Stiles laugh. “There’s no going back after that, are you sure you’re ready?” Derek was barely hanging onto his control, but he had to make sure Stiles wanted this.

            “Yes, I’ve never been more sure about anything else. It’s always been you Derek, only you.” Stiles felt like such a sap, but what he said was nothing but the truth.

            Derek fucking _whined_ at that. Yeah, there went the last of his control. He pressed his face into Stiles’ neck and took a deep breath, calming himself so he could talk. “Then we can do

the claiming thing, but not here.”

            “Wha-“ Stiles started, but he was interrupted by Derek standing, taking Stiles with him and lifting until Stiles took the hint and wrapped his legs around Derek’s waist. He giggled as

Derek began making his way up the stairs. “You win all the hotness awards, even though you’re completely ridiculous.” Derek’s only response was another growl, which Stiles felt vibrate through

his whole chest. He groaned and let his head fall to Derek’s shoulder, “Oh my _god_ , that’s going to be a thing isn’t it? I can totally handle sexy growling. Hurry up and get us to a bed before I

come in my pants like a total cliché.”

            Derek smirked at Stiles before leaning down to bite lightly at his neck. “We’ve got all night Stiles, I’m sure you can come more than once.”

            “ _Oh my god,”_ Stiles whimpered.

            


End file.
